Related Terms • existentialism

Definition: The concept of abandonment is important in the philosophy of existentialism, especially with atheistic existentialists. According to existentialists like Sartre, the nonexistence of God means that there are no objective values and no objective meaning in human life. Humans are thus "abandoned," propelled into a world where they must make decisions on their own, without anyone to "make it all better" in the end, should their decisions turn out badly.

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Related Resources:

What is Atheism?
The definition of atheism causes many people problems. Too often, people have the wrong idea of what atheism really is and what atheists really believe.

What is Agnosticism?
Misunderstandings about agnosticism are just as frequent as misunderstandings about atheism.