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Existentialist Philosophers: Biographical History of Existentialism
Who are the existentialists? Existentialism is a modern movement, but there are many earlier philosophers who dealt with existentialist themes or who might qualify as existentialists, even if they had never heard of the term. At the same time, in the modern era, there are philosophers who seem obviously existentialist even though they would dismiss the label while others may adopt the label for themselves even though it doesn't really apply.
- Introduction to Existent...
- Types of Existentialism
- Existentialism and Philo...
- Topical History of Exist...
Soren Kierkegaard Biography
Soren Kierkegaard's ideas about human freedom in an uncertain world make him one of the founders of existentialism, even though he did not use that label for himself. There is, indeed, little in existentialist philosophy today which cannot also be found in the writings of Kierkegaard.
Martin Heidegger Biography
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher who employed Husserl's ideas about phenomenology in an effort to better understand the nature of 'Being' - i.e., questions about ontology. Indeed, according to Heidegger there is only one basic question in philosophy: the Seinsfrage, or the question of being.
Friedrich Nietzsche Biography
A difficult, complex, and controversial philosopher, Nietzsche has been claimed as part of a number of difficult philosophical movements. Because his work was consciously designed to break from the philosophy of the past, it is perhaps expected that much of what would come after him would expand upon the themes he discussed and therefore claim...
Karl Jaspers Biography
Karl Jaspers was a German philosopher whose place in the history of philosophy is based primarily on his work in existentialism - indeed, he may be considered the first to construct a self-consciously existentialist philosophy in the modern era. Jaspers originally studied law and medicine, even receiving an M.D. from University of Heidelberg and...
Edmund Husserl Biography
Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl was a German philosopher who is generally associated with the modern development of phenomenology (a term which he coined) as he attempted to create out of it a pure, non-empirical science. Husserl's focus was simply to study the nature of consciousness and how a conscious person could be conscious of their own...
Jean Paul Sartre Biography
Jean-Paul Sartre was a French novelist and philosopher who is perhaps most famous for his development and defense of atheistic existential philosophy - as a matter of fact, his name is linked with existentialism more closely than any other, at least in most people's minds. Throughout his life, even as his philosophy changed and developed, he...
Albert Camus Biography
Albert Camus was a French-Algerian journalist and novelist whose literary work is regarded as a primary source of modern existentialist thought. A principle theme in Camus' novels is the idea that human life is, objectively speaking, meaningless. This results in 'absurdity' which can only be overcome by a commitment to moral integrity and social solidarity.
Simone de Beauvoir Biography
Simone de Beauvoir was a French novelist who played an important role in the development of existentialism and feminism in the 20th century. A number of her novels were explicitly about existentialist themes, for example the attempt to find meaning and purpose in an absurd world.
An Existential Philosopher's Museum
The name "Museum" here does not refer to dead artifacts. Instead, this intellectual site is designed to be a place for study and enlightenment.
Camus Critical Interpretation
Essays and criticism on and by Albert Camus.
Camus Studies Association
Worldwide scholarly organization.
Island of Freedom: Kierkegaard
All about the Danish philosopher and religious thinker.
Kierkegaard
Collection of information on Kierkegaard and existentialism.
Minds of Existentialism
Quick looks at a wide variety of existentialists through history.
The Nietzsche Page at USC
Popular and useful explanation of Nietzsche
Jean-Paul Sartre
Links, chronology, and an essay on Sartre's Transcendence of the Ego.