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[[File:Jean-Paul Sartre FP.JPG|thumb|[[Jean-Paul Sartre]] (1905–1980), one of the main existentialist philosophers]]

'''Existentialism''' is a way of thinking that focuses on what it means for people to [[existence|exist]]. It is a [[philosophical movement]]. It became well known in books and movies of the [[19th century|19th]] and [[20th century|20th centuries]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Abbagnano|first=Nicola|title=Existentialism|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=October 20, 2020|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/existentialism }}</ref> Existentialism is known for dealing with [[nihilism|nihilistic]] problems, but is generally still a kind of {{definition with link|link=Nihilism#Anti-nihilism|anti-nihilism|to be against nihilism}}.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Pratt|first=Alan|title=Nihilism|encyclopedia=Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy|url-status=live|url=https://www.iep.utm.edu/nihilism/ |archive-date=2010-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412132711/http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/n/nihilism.htm }}</ref> It says that humans have [[Free will|will]] and [[consciousness]], but they live in a world that does not. The [[wikt:premise|premise]] that people must make choices about their life while knowing they are [[mortal]] is what existentialism is all about.<ref name=Bullock/>

It was started by the [[Denmark|Danish]] philosopher [[Søren Kierkegaard]] (1813{{ndash}}1855).<ref name=Bullock>Bullock, Alan & Trombley, Stephen 1999. ''The new Fontana dictionary of modern thought''. 3rd ed, Fontana, London. p297/8 {{ISBN|0-00-255871-8}}</ref>
Kierkegaard was a very religious man, but existentialism in the 20th century became more and more [[atheism|atheistic]].<ref name=Bullock/> Most of its main thinkers and writers were in [[continental Europe|mainland Europe]]. For example, [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] spent most of the [[Second World War]] in a [[German prison camp]], reading the philosophy of [[Martin Heidegger]].<ref name=Leslie>Stevenson, Leslie & Haberman, David L. ''Ten theories of human nature''. Oxford University Press, chapter 9: Sartre: radical freedom. {{ISBN|978-0-19-536825-3}}</ref> When he came out he gave a lecture called ''Existentialism and Humanism''. This early lecture may be easier to read than his later work.<ref>Sartre, Jean-Paul 1974. ''Existentialism and humanism''. Methuen, London. {{ISBN|0-413-31300-X}}</ref>

Many [[religion]]s and philosophies (ways of thinking about the world) say that human life has a [[meaning of life|meaning]] (or a purpose). But people who believe in existentialism think that the world and human life have ''no meaning unless people give them meaning'': ‘existence precedes [is before] essence’. This means that we find ourselves existing in the world, and then we give ourselves meaning, or 'essence'. As Sartre said, "We are condemned to be free".<ref name=Leslie/> This means that we have no choice but to choose, and that we have full responsibility for our choices. Another way to put it is that we are always making choices even if we don't realize it.

Existentialists believe that our human 'essence' or 'nature' (way of being in the world) is simply our 'existence' (being in the world). More simply put, the 'essence' of a human, or what makes a human a 'human', is not due to nature or uncontrollable circumstances; rather, human essence is really just what we choose to make it. This means that the only nature we as humans have is the nature we make for ourselves. As a result of this, existentialists think that the actions or choices that a person makes are very important. They believe that every person has to decide for themselves what is right and wrong, and what is good and bad.

People who believe in existentialism ask questions like ’what is it like to be a human (a person) in the world?’ and ’how can we understand human freedom (what it means for a person to be free)?’ Existentialism is often connected with negative emotions, such as [[anxiety]] (worrying), dread (a very strong [[fear]]), and mortality ([[existential crisis|awareness of our own death]]). Some existentialists, like Sartre and Heidegger, think that thinking about these emotions helps people to choose the way that they want to live their lives.

Existentialism is sometimes confused with [[nihilism]]. It is different from nihilism, but there is a similarity. Nihilists believe that human life ''does not'' have a [[meaning of life|meaning]] (or a purpose) at all; existentialism says that people must choose their own purpose.

== Existentialism in books ==
Many of the main sources for existentialism were written in other languages and only later translated, mostly after the 1950s.
* ''[[The Outsider (Colin Wilson)|The Outsider]]'', by [[Colin Wilson]] (1956), examined the idea of the social outsider in modern society. It was one of the few books in English to give a readable explanation of the ideas and writings of [[Dostoievsky|Dostoyevsky]], [[Sartre]] and [[Albert Camus|Camus]], especially the idea of [[alienation]].
* ''[[Irrational Man: a study in existential philosophy]]'', by William Barratt (1958), Anchor Books {{ISBN|0-385-03138-6}}. This is a more direct study of existentialism by a professional [[philosopher]]. It introduced the idea of existentialism as a philosophy.
* [[Franz Kafka]] wrote books about people who feel hopeless because they are trapped in absurd (meaningless or senseless) situations that they do not understand.
* [[Fyodor Dostoevsky]], a Russian writer, wrote novels such as ''Crime and Punishment'' and ''The Brothers Karamazov''. Dostoevsky also wrote ''Notes from Underground'', which is the story of a man who cannot fit into society and who feels [[Alienation|alienated]].
* [[Hermann Hesse]] is a writer who wrote the book ''Steppenwolf'' in 1928. Hesse used an existentialist idea from Kierkegaard to write this book.
* [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] wrote novels such as ''Iron in the Soul'' that have existential themes. The people in Jean-Paul Sartre's stories often faced death, and had to make hard choices.
* [[Albert Camus]] wrote novels such as [[The Stranger (novel)|''The Stranger'']] that had stories about existentialism. ''The Stranger'' tells the story about a man who does not have feelings (emotions) after his mother dies. The man does not believe in God. The man does not have feelings (emotions) after he murders (kills) an Arab man.

== Existentialism in movies ==
[[Ingmar Bergman]] made a movie called ''[[The Seventh Seal]]'' in 1957. It shows the doom and gloom of the late [[Middle Ages]] caused by the [[Black Plague]], [[famine]], the [[Hundred Years' War]] between France and England, and [[papal]] [[schism]].<ref>Tuchman, Barbara 1978. ''A distant mirror: the calamitous 14th century''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. {{ISBN|0-394-40026-7}}</ref>

The movie ''[[Taxi Driver]]'' (which has the actor [[Robert De Niro]]) from 1976 has existential ideas in it. The main character feels sad and lonely, because he cannot understand the world.
[[Jean-Luc Godard]]'s "[[Vivre sa vie (film)]]" and [[Federico Fellini]]'s [[8 1/2]] are prime examples of the Existentialism fashion in the European early 50's that influenced American films such as [[Easy Rider]] or [[The Graduate]] in the 1960s.

[[:en:I Heart Huckabees|I Heart Huckabees]] is a 2004 film directed by [[:en:David O. Russell|David O. Russell]]. The movie revolves around a man who hires two existential detectives to find out about his "coincidence." He meets his "other" and is tempted with the dark side of existentialism.

== References ==
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[[Category:Philosophical movements and positions]]