Every religious system has in its teaching something about what happens after a person dies. Some have said that the only purpose of religion is to give hope so that people do not despair during this life but hope for something better. Some have said that this is how religious leaders manipulate and trick followers into serving them. The teaching of existentialism is that there is nothing after this life. When you die, that is it, you are done.
Existentialism is the belief that all that matters is existence. When you hear politicians talk about an existential crisis, they are saying that certain events might stop America from existing. This does not seem likely, but it makes for good sound bites.
John Paul Sartre is the father of modern Existentialism. He believed that there was nothing after this life. Most religions say that the things we do in this life will be judged and will determine the disposition of the dead. Sartre says that this is a silly idea. All we have is what we have during this life.
Many have played with this idea. Those who say that there is nothing but this life usually try and invent a moral and ethical behavior to live by. Even modern atheists like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins believe that people need to live morally. Even there is no logic to their arguments, they believe that if everyone was a murderer or a thief or a rapist, it would be bad. The idea that has developed over the centuries is that people need to think this way: If everyone did what I do, would society be a batter place? ISIS would give a different answer to that question than Buddhist monks in Singapore. So, the idea that I need to form my morals by comparing them to universal behavior normals falls down a little.
Sartre wrote many books on Existentialism and he is considered the best source for that philosophy. Having nothing to look forward to after this life, Sartre says, people will go through various stages. When people realize they are all alone and nothing waits for them, they will become forlorn. When this feeling comes home deeply, people will retreat and try to find whatever comfort they can on their own. After a while, people will hit the end feeling, which is despair. When they realize that all their pleasure seeking is actually a meaningless lie, they despair. Sartre says that if the despair deepens, the only logical conclusion is suicide.
To bring this back to the America political scene, progressivism is existentialism to its core. It is all about what you get now and how you can improve your life now. Progressivism has been in government schools for generations in America. Under President Obama, America was in the depths of existential despair. Trump is so unpredictable and strange to the march toward existentialism that America has been shaken out of it for a while. However, if the progressives get their way, existential despair is on our horizon, followed by a massive increase in suicides. Remember, under Obama Suicides of young people rose by 47%. Just something to watch for on the progressive front.
Existentialism is the belief that all that matters is existence. When you hear politicians talk about an existential crisis, they are saying that certain events might stop America from existing. This does not seem likely, but it makes for good sound bites.
John Paul Sartre is the father of modern Existentialism. He believed that there was nothing after this life. Most religions say that the things we do in this life will be judged and will determine the disposition of the dead. Sartre says that this is a silly idea. All we have is what we have during this life.
Many have played with this idea. Those who say that there is nothing but this life usually try and invent a moral and ethical behavior to live by. Even modern atheists like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins believe that people need to live morally. Even there is no logic to their arguments, they believe that if everyone was a murderer or a thief or a rapist, it would be bad. The idea that has developed over the centuries is that people need to think this way: If everyone did what I do, would society be a batter place? ISIS would give a different answer to that question than Buddhist monks in Singapore. So, the idea that I need to form my morals by comparing them to universal behavior normals falls down a little.
Sartre wrote many books on Existentialism and he is considered the best source for that philosophy. Having nothing to look forward to after this life, Sartre says, people will go through various stages. When people realize they are all alone and nothing waits for them, they will become forlorn. When this feeling comes home deeply, people will retreat and try to find whatever comfort they can on their own. After a while, people will hit the end feeling, which is despair. When they realize that all their pleasure seeking is actually a meaningless lie, they despair. Sartre says that if the despair deepens, the only logical conclusion is suicide.
To bring this back to the America political scene, progressivism is existentialism to its core. It is all about what you get now and how you can improve your life now. Progressivism has been in government schools for generations in America. Under President Obama, America was in the depths of existential despair. Trump is so unpredictable and strange to the march toward existentialism that America has been shaken out of it for a while. However, if the progressives get their way, existential despair is on our horizon, followed by a massive increase in suicides. Remember, under Obama Suicides of young people rose by 47%. Just something to watch for on the progressive front.
Source on the suicide number?
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