Existentialism in Action : Think , Reflect , Choose
Flipped Learning Activity on Existentialism
This Blog is a part of flipped learning activity assigned by Dr. and Prof. Dilip Barad sirregarding Existentialism.Here, I will discuss the assigned videos and note my personal reflections.
Existentialism....
Many people feel confused at night and ask themselves questions like: Why do I exist? What is the meaning of my life? Such feelings are normal because humans have always tried to understand the purpose of life.
In earlier times, thinkers like Plato and Aristotle supported the idea of Essentialism. They believed that everything has a fixed nature and purpose from birth. For instance, a knife is created to cut. Similarly, they thought human beings are also born with a definite purpose given by God or nature. However, Existentialist philosophers disagreed with this view. They argued that “existence comes before essence.” This means that we are born first without any pre-decided purpose, and later we shape our identity through our decisions. Life does not come with a ready-made meaning; instead, we give meaning to our lives through our actions and choices.
Existentialism is a broad philosophical movement that focuses on the human condition, freedom, and what life means in a world without obvious purpose. It started as a reaction to modern life’s sense of meaninglessness and alienation when traditional sources of meaning (like religion) faded . Existentialists stress freedom and responsibility: individuals must make choices and take responsibility for shaping their lives. Although existentialists reject universal moral rules, they still argue that we can live ethically by owning our freedom and helping others realize theirs.
Coming to Terms with the Absurdity of Life
Existentialism also talks about the idea of the absurd, which means the conflict between our desire to find meaning in life and the fact that the world often seems meaningless or confusing. Humans naturally search for purpose, order, and answers, but life does not always provide clear explanations. This creates a feeling of emptiness, uncertainty, or frustration. Existentialist thinkers like Albert Camus believed that instead of escaping this reality, we should accept the absurd condition of life and continue living with courage, creating our own meaning through our choices and actions.
Although Jean-Paul Sartre was the first person to call himself an existentialist and founded the movement, he is not considered the first existentialist. Existentialism is commonly believed to have started with Kierkegaard.
Existentialism can be understood as a triangle with three equally important parts or sides
1. Individuality (or the individual)
2. Freedom
3. Passions (or emotions)
This triangular view helps explain why a person's belief in God doesn't necessarily prevent them from being an existentialist. For an existentialist, God is only possible after one thinks as an individual. For example, one can only fully understand and devote themselves to God after realizing life's absurdity or living in despair. This understanding is an individual achievement and cannot be preached or achieved as part of a community.
However, some philosophers, like Camus, argue against this. Camus believed that believing in God is "philosophical suicide" and the "easy way out". For Camus, a person must understand, recognize, and fully embrace the absurd. Although Camus did not like to be called an existentialist, he is considered an important figure in the field because his work touches upon the themes of individualism, freedom, and emotions.
Existentialism is popular among young people because it deals with subjects they may be struggling with during their youth. These subjects include:
The video explains Albert Camus’s essay The Myth of Sisyphus (Part I – An Absurd Reasoning). Camus begins by saying that the only truly serious philosophical problem is suicide because when life feels full of despair and absurdity, people might consider ending it. He emphasizes that the search for the meaning of life is “the most urgent of questions.” Camus views suicide as a deeply personal act, “prepared within the silence of the heart.” The thought of suicide often comes when a person begins to think deeply, realizing the ridiculousness of daily habits, the lack of a profound reason for living, the insanity of constant struggles, and the uselessness of suffering.
When a person loses illusions and sees life clearly, they may feel alienated from the world. This separation between the individual and life, like an actor detached from their stage, is what Camus calls the feeling of absurdity. Once someone recognizes life’s absurdity, they face a question: should they escape it through hope, faith, or suicide? Many people assume that realizing life has no inherent meaning naturally leads to declaring it not worth living, but Camus disagrees, saying there is no necessary connection between the two. Instead, he proposes what he calls “absurd reasoning,” which involves exploring whether there is any logic to life even in the face of death. In conclusion, Camus’s answer to life’s absurdity is not suicide, but rather accepting life as it is and continuing to live fully despite its lack of inherent meaning.
The video Explains The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus explains the idea of the absurd, which happens when a human’s desire for meaning, satisfaction, and clarity meets the world’s irrationality. The absurd exists only when humans and the world interact—without humans, there would be no desire or need for meaning. It is a condition of the mind and ends with death, like everything else. Once someone recognizes the absurd, they face a choice: they can commit physical suicide, ending their life to escape it, or philosophical suicide, denying the absurd and living in perpetual hope or faith.
Philosophical suicide, which Camus criticizes, occurs when thinkers acknowledge the absurd but try to escape it by appealing to religion or higher meaning. Camus calls this a “leap,” because instead of confronting life as it is, they invent a solution that avoids the problem. He mentions examples like Shestov, who concludes that the absurd is God, and Kierkegaard, who relies on faith to overcome it. Camus differs from Kierkegaard, arguing that faith is often a way of ignoring reason. The absurd man, by contrast, accepts that searching for truth is not the same as seeking what is desirable, and that hope has no place in facing the absurd. The real challenge is not taking the easy leap, but staying true to the evidence of life’s absurdity and continuing to live fully in that awareness.
Video 4: Dadaism, Nihilism and Existentialism (Click Here)
The video explains that Dadaism was not just about nothingness or Nihilism. Instead, it was a strong reaction against the values and society that caused World War I. Just like Existentialism came after World War II, Dadaism appeared in 1916 as a way to challenge old rules and make room for new ideas. Artists like Hugo Ball and Tristan Tzara started the movement in Zurich because they were angry about the war and believed traditional values had led to it.
Unlike other art movements that focus on creating beauty, Dadaism was more about questioning everything. The speaker calls it the “Socrates of the War years” because it broke rules and challenged established ideas, destroying old “tables of values” so new ones could emerge. Dadaists also wanted to free themselves from words and meanings invented by society, sometimes even creating new words to escape cultural rules. Confusing or strange art, like Marcel Duchamp’s works, was meant to make people question what art is and, in turn, all the values they take for granted. The video also shows a connection between Dadaism and Existentialism: both were tired of life’s arbitrary rules, but Dadaism reacted to the absurdity of World War I, while Existentialism responded to World War II.
The video explains existentialism, a philosophy that many people think is gloomy because it talks about anxiety, despair, and the absurdity of life. However, these “negative” topics are discussed to help people find ways to deal with them. Different philosophers suggest ways to cope, such as believing in God, finding a personally meaningful truth, or accepting life’s absurdity. The main lesson of existentialism is that you should judge every value for yourself, choose your own meaning in life, and take responsibility for your choices.
The video also clears up common misunderstandings. Some people think existentialism is narcissistic, but being an individual doesn’t mean being selfish—it means looking inward to discover yourself, as Nietzsche said: “become who you are.” Others believe it leads to nihilism, but existentialism is not nihilism. The philosophy became popular after World War II as a response to the despair and meaninglessness people felt. In that context, existentialism acted as a way to help people recover and find purpose in life despite life’s challenges.
Video 6: Existentialism and Nihilism: Is it one and the same?(Click Here)
The video explains that existentialism and nihilism are very different—actually, they are opposites. While nihilism often means passively accepting that life has no meaning, existentialism is about fighting back through individuality and rebellion. Different philosophers addressed this in their own ways. For Kierkegaard, nihilism meant losing one’s individuality, so his philosophy focuses on the individual and subjective experience to resist it. Nietzsche saw nihilism as the loss of value in the things we consider most important, and he spent his work trying to restore meaning and values. The video also mentions a figure named Turin, who represents pure nihilism: he passively accepts life’s meaninglessness and even praises suicide but refuses to act or rebel against life’s struggles. In contrast, Albert Camus argued that the right response to life’s absurdity is rebellion. In works like The Myth of Sisyphus, he emphasizes that we have a responsibility to confront hopelessness and continue to fight for meaning instead of giving in to despair.
Video 7: Let us introduce Existentialism again!(Click Here)
Existentialism is best understood not as a strict set of rules or doctrines, but as a philosophical movement that began in 19th-century Europe and became very important after World War II. It focuses on the human condition, asking questions like “Why am I here?” and “How should I live?” Existentialists reject big systems or religions that claim to have all the answers because relying on them can stop a person from becoming authentic and free. Instead, they emphasize seeing life from a human perspective, facing fears, anxieties, and the reality of death.
A key idea, especially for Jean-Paul Sartre, is that “existence precedes essence.” Unlike traditional thinking, which says people have a purpose before they exist, existentialists argue that humans appear in the world first and then create their own purpose through choices and actions. Existentialism is often confused with nihilism, but they are different. Nihilism says life has no meaning at all, while existentialism says life has no predefined meaning, but we have the power—and responsibility—to make our own meaning. Nietzsche, for example, encouraged people to “become who you are” by creating their own values rather than blindly following society or religion.
The existentialist path is not easy. Creating your own meaning means facing the confusion of the world without relying on familiar traditions, which can lead to loneliness or social rejection. Nietzsche warned that society often “hates the lonely one” who makes their own values, but this struggle is necessary to live as a true, authentic individual rather than just a conformist. Important figures in existentialism include Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Dostoevsky in the 19th century, and Sartre, Heidegger, Camus, Kafka, and Merleau-Ponty in the 20th century.
The video explains existentialism and the ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche in a way that children can understand. It shows that the rules parents and teachers make, like cleaning your room or wearing pyjamas to bed, are just created by people and are not automatic or universal. Nietzsche suggests that we don’t have to follow these rules blindly; instead, we can create our own way of living. The video explains that there is no single list of “good” or “bad” things that applies to everyone—this is the main idea of existentialism. Nietzsche also talks about the Ubermensch, or Superman, a person who makes their own rules and decides for themselves what is right or wrong. The video shows children reacting to these ideas: some enjoy the idea of having total freedom, while others strongly disagree, even saying they “hate” Nietzsche for suggesting people can do whatever they want.
Video 8: Explain like I'm Five: Existentialism and Nietzsche:(Click Here)
The video attempts to make complex philosophical ideas accessible to a young audience, offering an interesting example of how abstract concepts can be taught through simplified pedagogy. By using familiar situations—such as questioning parental authority or the idea of being a “good” child—the hosts successfully anchor existentialism and Nietzsche’s concept of the Γbermensch in everyday experiences children can understand. However, this simplification comes at a cost. Presenting the Γbermensch as someone who can simply “do whatever he wants” risks distorting Nietzsche’s philosophy, which centers on self-overcoming and the creation of values rather than unrestricted freedom or moral chaos. From an academic perspective, the video underscores the difficulty of translating dense philosophical ideas into accessible language without sacrificing conceptual accuracy. While the “explain it to a child” format is necessarily reductive, a more responsible approach might at least gesture toward the ethical responsibilities that accompany radical freedom. Overall, the video highlights the fine line between making philosophy engaging and oversimplifying it to the point of misrepresentation.
Video 9: Why I like Existentialism? Eric Dodson (Click Here)
This video is a personal reflection on existentialism, where the creator explains what draws him to this style of philosophy and how it has influenced his way of thinking. Rather than giving a technical explanation, he talks about existentialism through his own experiences and feelings, showing why caring about it feels meaningful to him. The focus is on how existentialism helps him think about life, freedom, choice, and personal responsibility in a way that feels real and relevant, rather than just abstract ideas on a page. In this sense, he uses his own story to answer the question of why someone might care about existentialist thinking, stressing its personal significance rather than strict academic definitions.
Video 10: Let us sum up: From Essentialism to Existentialism
My favorite video and the reason behind my choice...(Click Here)
The video “Existentialism: Crash Course Philosophy ” explains Existentialism as a way of thinking about life in a world that does not offer clear or ready-made answers. It focuses on how human beings search for meaning even when the universe itself seems silent and indifferent. To make this idea clearer, the video first contrasts Existentialism with an older philosophical view called Essentialism.
Essentialism, which comes from ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, is based on the belief that everything in the world has an “essence,” or a fixed set of characteristics that define what it is. For example, a knife is considered a knife because of its blade. If the blade is removed, it no longer serves its purpose and cannot be called a knife. The blade is its essence because it gives the object meaning and function. When applied to human beings, Essentialism suggests that people are born with a predetermined purpose or nature, often believed to be given by God.
For many centuries, people believed that the goal of life was simply to discover and follow this pre-existing essence.
Existentialism challenges this traditional belief. In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre argued that “existence precedes essence.” This means that human beings are born first and only later define who they are through their choices and actions. Unlike objects such as knives, humans are not created with a fixed purpose or role. There is no destiny or universal plan written for us by God or the universe. Instead, each individual must create their own purpose through the way they live their life.
A central problem discussed in the video is what Existentialist thinkers call “the Absurd.” Humans naturally want meaning, order, and clear answers about life. However, the universe does not respond to these desires. It offers no explanations, no moral rules, and no inherent meaning. The Absurd arises from this conflict between our search for meaning and the universe’s silence. As the video explains, we cry out for answers, but the world gives no response.
The video also explains why Existentialism became especially important during and after World War II. The horrors of events such as the Holocaust made many people lose faith in the idea that the world has a natural moral order or built-in justice. When extreme cruelty and suffering occur, it becomes difficult to believe that the world was designed according to a good or rational plan. In this historical context, Existentialism offered a way to understand life without relying on ideas of divine order or destiny.
I choose this video because......it clearly explains how Existentialism is different from Essentialism and why humans must create their own meaning in life. I liked it because it used real examples, like the student’s wartime dilemma, to show how making authentic choices is both challenging and important. The video made complex ideas like “existence precedes essence,” “the Absurd,” and “condemned to be free” easy to understand, and it helped me see that even though life has no built-in meaning, we can still give it meaning through our own choices.
My personal Learning outcome....
From this video, I learned that Existentialism teaches us that life does not come with a built-in meaning or purpose. Unlike objects or traditional beliefs that assume a fixed essence, humans are born without a predetermined role and must define themselves through their actions and choices. I understood the concept of the Absurd, which explains the conflict between our natural desire for meaning and the universe’s silence, and how this can make life seem uncertain or even overwhelming.
I also learned that freedom is both empowering and challenging. We are “condemned to be free,” meaning that we cannot rely on external authorities, traditions, or moral codes to guide our lives completely. Instead, we must take full responsibility for our decisions and live authentically, rather than avoiding responsibility through “bad faith,” such as blindly following rules or expectations.
The examples in the video, like the student choosing between duty to family or country, helped me realize that there are no universal answers in life, and what truly matters is making sincere choices and owning them. Overall, I learned that Existentialism encourages self-awareness, personal responsibility, and the creation of meaning in an uncertain world, which can be both challenging and empowering.
Questions...
1. Why do Existentialists say we have to create our own purpose in life?
2. How does the concept of “the Absurd” explain the conflict between human expectations and the reality of the world?
3. what is the difference between living authentically and living in bad faith?
4. Why does Existentialism reject the idea of a “right” moral choice in Sartre’s student dilemma, and what does this reveal about authentic decision-making?
5. Why do Existentialists say we have to create our own purpose in life?
Some Additional Feedback....
The video made complex philosophical ideas easy to understand by using simple examples and real-life scenarios.
It connected philosophy to history and human experience, showing why Existentialism became important after events like World War II.
I appreciated the balance between theory and practical application, such as the moral dilemma example, which helped me think about my own choices.
The video also encouraged reflection on personal responsibility, freedom, and authenticity, which made the learning experience more meaningful.
Visually and narratively, the video was engaging and memorable, which helped reinforce the concepts effectively.
