silverblackvoid_ll
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existentialism. how many of you believe in it. i believe in theistic existentialism.
existence precedes essence
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Qui
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yes. I'm planning an interesting scene in my story off of the existential model of dread in which one stands on the edge of a cliff and fears falling but also dreads the possibility that one might jump. Of course, I've got some delicious monsters to throw into the mix, but still.
Edit: it should be also noted that I am a fan of Kafka. Metamorphasis basically blows my mind.
Edit: it should be also noted that I am a fan of Kafka. Metamorphasis basically blows my mind.
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Absoluttly!!! As a matter of fact, I'm suprised most theists aren't into existentialism. Another Dostojewski fan I'm asuming?? 
I used to be an atheist until recently, but even back then I still thought Sartre was the man (and aperently you do do since you saw fit to title this thread with a quote of his), but I've changed my mind after a long while of mulling things over. Now, I'm going to have to do something really shitty here and combine this post with what I origionally wanted to reply to in the religion, which is long and babbling. But I'm giving everybody a chance to drop out right now by merely giving my "thesis sentance" up here. In this world it doesn't really matter if God exists or not since we have no idea what God wants from us, and God doesn't really meddle with our goings on, provided God exists at all. But, what God does represent is the hope that all of the misery we expirence in this world will be made up for in the end.
I used to be an atheist until recently, but even back then I still thought Sartre was the man (and aperently you do do since you saw fit to title this thread with a quote of his), but I've changed my mind after a long while of mulling things over. Now, I'm going to have to do something really shitty here and combine this post with what I origionally wanted to reply to in the religion, which is long and babbling. But I'm giving everybody a chance to drop out right now by merely giving my "thesis sentance" up here. In this world it doesn't really matter if God exists or not since we have no idea what God wants from us, and God doesn't really meddle with our goings on, provided God exists at all. But, what God does represent is the hope that all of the misery we expirence in this world will be made up for in the end.
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My parents are atheists through and through and so was I until recently. I thought it was very cool to be an unbeliever and think things like "God is the opium of the masses" and so forth. I thought religion was hindering humanity and didn't teach people anything other than to acquiesce the social order. I'm sure you've heard these ideas before (and am certain that you heard them posed much more articulately!) but I just got worn out on it.
For starters I'm not a cool guy. Not in the least! So all of this ultra hip, radical contra-theology is really some bullshit on my part, because I was doing it just for its own sake: I never hung out with any like minded people or plotted a revolution in a beer hall so this line of thinking didn't get me honeysuckle. Also, the alternatives to not believing in God strike me now as being quite dismal. I used to agree with Napoleon of all people, who articulated my position very succinctly when he said, roughly, that: society is based on inequality. Inequality needs some sort of morality to justify it, and religion provides that morality. Also another one I like is “Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.” Napoleon was a dick but you can't say that he wasn't straight up!
In short “If there were no God it would be necessary to invent Him.” Some people may find this phrase to be a bit cyinical, but you've got to go to Sartre for the seriously cynical honeysuckle, and ironically enough it's his ideas which actually lead me to a belief in God. I think Sartre personally would have gone along with the above quote, but he also said that reason is essentially no different, and, ironically, refers to it as 'bad faith'. The argument goes as follows: since we get cast into this dystopian existence without having any say in the matter, because people, once in existence, are totally free to do whatever and there is nothing stopping them from being as violent and as crazy as they want, we have good reason to be scared shitless! Since this freedom we are all condemned to experience is so horrible and frightening we need to feel comforted and want to believe it isn't so. The solution? We came up with the idea that people are reasonable. That way we can now walk down the street without fear of getting abducted and living through the plot of the next Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie because we have faith that people are reasonable and don't do that sort of thing, even in spite of countless examples of people's actions to the contrary.
Now, I think I'm mischaracterizing what Sartre was about right here since I think he was into freedom much more than I am. Actually, I'm not so much put off by free will because it allows for the possibility for people to go totally ape honeysuckle one day, but rather that all the responsibility for everything-- my own unhappiness included-- is mine to bear. I don't want this responsibility, nor did I ask for it, so it's a real ***** that I'm stuck with it!
But what I found to be the most compelling was the argument that reason is bullshit. Just from personal expirance with other people I know it's foolish to presume people are reasonable—hell, I'm positive that I'm not reasonable at all—so if God is a fraud what else is there left to believe in? People? We're all ******* savages just barely out of the jungle. Basically I find no comfort in the material world so I can only hope that when I die all the suffering humanity and I have gone through will be made up for in the end. I believe in God because I'm told of Him that He's infinitely good and forgiving and on account of that all my existential boo boos get kissed and made all better in the end! And speaking of “in the end” I think I'm long overdue to shut myself the fresia up. That's all folks!
For starters I'm not a cool guy. Not in the least! So all of this ultra hip, radical contra-theology is really some bullshit on my part, because I was doing it just for its own sake: I never hung out with any like minded people or plotted a revolution in a beer hall so this line of thinking didn't get me honeysuckle. Also, the alternatives to not believing in God strike me now as being quite dismal. I used to agree with Napoleon of all people, who articulated my position very succinctly when he said, roughly, that: society is based on inequality. Inequality needs some sort of morality to justify it, and religion provides that morality. Also another one I like is “Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.” Napoleon was a dick but you can't say that he wasn't straight up!
In short “If there were no God it would be necessary to invent Him.” Some people may find this phrase to be a bit cyinical, but you've got to go to Sartre for the seriously cynical honeysuckle, and ironically enough it's his ideas which actually lead me to a belief in God. I think Sartre personally would have gone along with the above quote, but he also said that reason is essentially no different, and, ironically, refers to it as 'bad faith'. The argument goes as follows: since we get cast into this dystopian existence without having any say in the matter, because people, once in existence, are totally free to do whatever and there is nothing stopping them from being as violent and as crazy as they want, we have good reason to be scared shitless! Since this freedom we are all condemned to experience is so horrible and frightening we need to feel comforted and want to believe it isn't so. The solution? We came up with the idea that people are reasonable. That way we can now walk down the street without fear of getting abducted and living through the plot of the next Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie because we have faith that people are reasonable and don't do that sort of thing, even in spite of countless examples of people's actions to the contrary.
Now, I think I'm mischaracterizing what Sartre was about right here since I think he was into freedom much more than I am. Actually, I'm not so much put off by free will because it allows for the possibility for people to go totally ape honeysuckle one day, but rather that all the responsibility for everything-- my own unhappiness included-- is mine to bear. I don't want this responsibility, nor did I ask for it, so it's a real ***** that I'm stuck with it!
But what I found to be the most compelling was the argument that reason is bullshit. Just from personal expirance with other people I know it's foolish to presume people are reasonable—hell, I'm positive that I'm not reasonable at all—so if God is a fraud what else is there left to believe in? People? We're all ******* savages just barely out of the jungle. Basically I find no comfort in the material world so I can only hope that when I die all the suffering humanity and I have gone through will be made up for in the end. I believe in God because I'm told of Him that He's infinitely good and forgiving and on account of that all my existential boo boos get kissed and made all better in the end! And speaking of “in the end” I think I'm long overdue to shut myself the fresia up. That's all folks!
silverblackvoid_ll
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An archist...you've got some points. i think we can discuss some more on this perhaps?
F
flaneur
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I'm an existentialist due to my atheism. It helps me fill the void arising from not having a "real" (objective) reason for being. As for theistic existentialism, I have read Dostoyevsky. Crime & Punishment was riveting but The Brothers Karamazov was ruined for me by bad theology.
