Tremolo's Favorite Links on existentialism from Diigo

Fractal Ontology: Ortega y Gasset and the Origin of Philosophy

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 08:35:54 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

With this in mind, Ortega argues that there are two ways for thoughts to progress: one thought may imply another, or a thought may complicate the other. The latter Ortega calls “synthetic or dialectic thought” (16). For Ortega, a thought is synthetic or dialectic if it is irresistibly imposed on us, and if the first thought cannot be complete without the second. In this sense, the dialectic stresses continuity and necessary totality because it has to be taken further, through yet another synthesis. He writes, “The dialectic is the obligation to continue thinking, and this is not merely a manner of speaking, but an actual reality. It is the very fact of the human condition” (17).

Tags: existentialism materialism reality

Posted by: tremolo

Existential despair: Information from Answers.com

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 04:01:35 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

The term despair, when used by existentialists, refers to the fact that all the choices we make are based on uncertain information and an incomplete understanding of the world.

When discussing existentialism, people often are referring to Sartre's philosophy, but generalizations about existentialism should be made with caution, as the term refers to the works of a series of fairly divergent philosophers and authors, rather than a coherent and solitary world view. The one proposition that unifies all existentialists is that existence precedes essence, which means that there is no such thing as human nature or an essential character that is natural or determining for human life.

Tags: absolutism contextual existentialism fragmentation freedom

Posted by: tremolo