UNIT 3.

5 Existentialism
Etymological meaning of existence from two German words -: ex-sistent meaning that which stands out, that which emerges suggests that existentialism is a philosophy that emerges out of problems of life. Existentialism in the broader sense is a 20th century philosophy that is centered upon the analysis of existence and of the way humans find themselves existing in the world. The notion is that humans exist first and then each individual spends a lifetime changing their essence or nature.

 Socrates statement: I am and always have been a man to obey nothing in my nature except the reasoning which upon reflection, appears to be the best. Kierkegaard and Nietzsche Sren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche were two of the first philosophers considered fundamental to the existentialist movement, though neither used the term "existentialism. Kierkegaard's and Nietzsche's are exemplars who define the nature of their own existence. These idealized individuals invent their own values and create the very terms under which they excel. Following the Second World War, existentialism became a well-known and significant philosophical and cultural movement, mainly through the public prominence of two French writers, Sartre and Albert Camus, who wrote best-selling novels, plays and widely-read journalism as well as theoretical texts.

 existentialism is a humanistic perspective on the individual situation, a philosophy of existence, of being, of authenticity and of universal freedom. It is a quest, beyond despair, for creative identity. It is the philosophy that is a counselor in crisis, a crisis in the individuals life, which calls upon him to make a choice regarding his subsequent existence. Forms of Existentialism There are two forms of existentialism: (1) theistic existentialism, and (2) atheistic existentialism. According to theistic existentialism God has created us & yet has also apparently withdrawn from Her creation--so that we find ourselves bereft of divine guidance & lost in the world & questioning our faith. Then in the face of a seemingly meaningless, pointless world, individuals must create meaningful lives for themselves by making active choices and by taking full responsibility for those choices.

 (Atheistic ) Assume that God exists and is all-powerful & allknowing & all-good. Then also assume that evil exists in the world. Then God is either responsible for the existence of evil, in which case God is Himself evil & not all-good; or else God is not responsible for the existence of evil & yet knew that it was going to happen & couldnt prevent it--so God is not allpowerful; or else God would have prevented evil but didnt know it was going to happen, and is therefore not all-knowing. So given evil, God is either not all-good, not all-powerful, not all-knowing, or does not exist. The atheistic existentialist then concludes that God does not exist. What this means is that human beings have no preestablished nature or essence or goal for their lives, and that in the face of a meaningless pointless world, individuals must create meaningful lives for themselves by making active choices and by taking full responsibility for those choices

EXISTENTIALISM DEFINED
Existence does not mean living alive alone, it means to maintain perfect, powerful, self-conscious, responsible and intelligent life. Man should get opportunity for subjective consciousness. Truth is realized only in inner life.

Existentialism lays emphasis on Freedom and Individual Responsibility.

It has an Eye-view on human weakness and insecurity as man is leading a lonely life, being surrounded by anxieties, frustrations, fear, feeling of guilt etc. His individuality is being crushed.

FUNDAMENTALS
1. For the existentialist Reality is Being or existence of an individual.

2. Existentialism wants man to be without metaphysics.

3. They wish to restore the status of man which he has lost in this advanced technological and mechanized society. 4. Man is not man but humanity. It implies that each mans actions, while subjectively inspired influence by other people. 5. The existentialists aver that the persons mind is the source and substance of all knowledge.

FUNDAMENTALS
6. The realization of existence proceeds from the inwardness of man.

7. That knowledge is valid which is of value to the individual.

8. They do not believe in absolute values. They argue that as long as the empirical spirit remains alive, it must remain open to revision and correction and hence it cannot adhere to fixed values.

9. Values should be generated by our free decisions.

10. Freedom is the source of ultimate values.

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF EXISTENTIALISM

The philosophy of existentialism has not displayed any particular interest in education. Therefore, it has been observed that the educational implications are derived and deduced from their philosophy rather than that are developed by existentialists.

Aims & Objectives of Education

1. Education is that which helps an individual to realize the best that he is capable of.
In doing so education must help the individual to realise the facticity (contingency) of his existence to face the categories of this facticity - dread, anguish, anxiety and fear resolutely and courageously and finally prepare him to meet death with pleasure.

2. Education for happiness is a dangerous doctrine because there can be no happiness without pain and no ecstasy without suffering. Therefore, existentialists would welcome an education, which throws open to children human suffering, misery, anguish and the dreadful responsibilities of adult life.

3. Students must develop a consistent scale of values, authenticate their existence by being committed to these values and so act as to be prepared to die for these values than to live without them. Dying for ones own country constituted the supreme sacrifice.

4. Every individual is unique. Education must develop in him this uniqueness. It must cater to individual differences. 5. Education must make pupil aware of the infinite possibilities of his freedom and the responsibilities he must bear in life.

6. The most important aim in education is the becoming of a human person as one who lives and makes decisions about what he will do and be. Knowing in the sense of knowing oneself, social relationship, and biological development, are all the parts of becoming. Human existence and the value related to it is the primary factory in education.
7. Education for complete development of personality. 8. More importance to subjective knowledge than objective knowledge.

11. Education should train men to make better choices and also give the man the idea that since his choices are never perfect, the consequences cannot be predicted. 12. The ultimate aim of education is to make man conscious of his destination, to give understanding of his being and ultimately lead him to his heavenly abode. In short, the objective of education is:

- to enable every individual to develop his unique qualities, to harness his potentialities and cultivate his individualities.
- It means the implication of existentialist formulations for child rearing education and counseling practices are many.

THE TEACHER AND EXISTENTIALISM

1. Existentialists do not wish the teacher to be social minded umpire or provider of free social activity (as the pragmatists want) or a model personality (as the Idealists say) to be limited, by the students. 2. He may indirectly influence them about his values but he should impose his cherished values on them, test his values become the code of conduct for the students, who may begin to accept them without thought. Instead of expecting them to imitate he should help them to be original and authentic.

3. His effort should be that students mind should have autonomous functioning so that they become free, charitable and self-moving. 4. The role of teacher is very important because he is the creator of such as educational situation in which the student can establish contact with his self by becoming conscious of his self and can achieve self-realization. 5. It is the teacher who impresses up on the students to work hard and make the best of life and accept death as something inevitable but tell them that death can be gloomy as well as glorious. It is he who inculcates in the students the idea that a life lived lazily, selfishly or improperly is a life not worthy living. Dying for ones country is glorious. So,

6. The teacher must build positive relationships between himself and his students. 7. Teachers should avoid applying labels to children (such as lazy, slow learner etc.) for individuals may indeed come to think of themselves this way. 8. The teacher is also changing and growing as he guides the pupil in his discovery of self.

CONCLUSION
1. interest is directed on the man - his genuine or authentic self, his choices made with full responsibility of consequences, and freedom. 2. It describes and diagnoses human weaknesses, limitations and conflicts.

3. It traces the origin of all these and anticipates that man will overcome them. These arise, they say when a man comes to have a sense of meaninglessness of his life. 4. They do not want man to be philistine (one whose interests are material and common place) or mediocre who submerges himself.

5. They want the transcendence of man, which means that he should become more and more authentic. 6. Man cannot be explained by reason as the idealists emphasize.

7. Since existentialism is optimistic, the preaches the doctrine of action and emphasizes the concept of freedom, responsibility and choice, it has exerted an increasing appeal to the educator, who has been shown the new horizons.
In short, Existentialism is an attitude and outlook that emphasizes human existence, the qualities of individual persons rather than man in abstract of nature and the world in general. Education, therefore, must edify and enrich mans mind so that it may be respectable in his own eyes and in the eyes of the, others. It should help him to make him human.