Dostoevsky and Existentialism

1. Dostoevsky and Existentialism

2. Early Life Born Nov. 11, 1821 and died Feb. 9, 1881. Middle class family Father- alcoholic Mother-dies 1837 Father dies 1839 (starts the cycle of pain and misery) Murdered by serf

3. Forced into a life� Before his death, Father forced him to become a sub lieutenant in the military. After his death, Fyodor quits and becomes a writer. (dangerous)

4. Doomed? Fyodor begins to speak out against nobility, religion, and structure- thrown in prison and sentenced to die.

5. �but wait!! While standing in front of the firing squad his sentence is reduced to work at a Siberian prison camp (gulag)

6. Freedom Returns to writing (being watched) Wife and brother die Major debt- gambling problem (This is the time period that he wrote Crime and Punishment)

7. Crime and Punishment Raskolnikov� schism or split Philosophical beliefs- belief in superiority causes the murder vs. Inherent morality � condemns and suffers This is where existentialism comes in (without the term actually being coined yet)

8. Came from� Great Depression + WWII = deep sense of despair in society. �Why are we living this life�? �What is the point of our existence if it seems to be so horrible�? People began to analyze EXISTENCE

9. Kinda like this�

10. Basic definition.. existentialism is a philosophy concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility

11. So if normally� people are searching to find out who and what they are throughout life as they make choices based on their experiences, beliefs, and outlook��

12. Then an existentialist would say that People are free to make choices completely free from society�s standards, laws, teachings, etc a person should be forced to choose and be responsible without the help of laws, ethnic rules, or traditions. �Man is free to act, but he must act to be free�

13. II. The Existentialist View of Human Nature Existentialism is defined by the slogan Existence precedes Essence. This means: 1. We have no predetermined nature or essence that controls what we are, what we do, or what is valuable for us.

14. 2. We are radically free to act independently of determination by outside influences. 3. We create our own human nature through these free choices. 4. We also create our values through these choices.

15. The Existentialist View (We create our own nature.): We are thrown into existence first without a predetermined nature and only later do we construct our nature or essence through our actions. You are how you act.

16. Human Situation 1. Facticity (throwness): We are not the source of our existence, but find ourselves thrown into a world we don't control and didn't choose.

17. Human Situation 2. Anxiety:. We are faced with the responsibility of choosing our own nature and values� those become �all men�s values and nature� That�s stressful!

18. Human Situation 3. Despair: World we�re thrown into and which we cannot control vs. the absolute freedom we have to create ourselves we must despair of any hope of external value or determination and restrict ourselves to what is under our own control.

19. Where�s the happy? What is Happiness? 1. The problem: How can man be happy in a world devoid of external significance and meaning? 2. The solution: The loss of external value allows us to get value from within ourselves, a value that is greater because it cannot be taken away by external forces.