What is Existentialism?

What is Existentialism?
"Existentialism is a term applied to the work of a number of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, generally held that the focus of philosophical thought should be to deal with the conditions of existence of the individual person and his or her emotions, actions, responsibilities, and thoughts."
(via wikipedia )

Simpler enough, existentialism is a philosophical idea and movement which states that "existence precedes essence" (Sartre). This places man in control of his own destiny and strips him bare of any preconceived human nature (essence). Every man has the power within himself to construct his own identity and his own way of being in the world (good faith). For this reason, existentialism places humanity at the center of its philosophical spectrum, which includes first and foremost the importance of human subjectivity (self-consciousness).

Marx on Philosophy

"The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it."

-Karl Marx, Early Writings

Featured Painting

-Banksy, Detroit, 2010

Zinn

"We were not born critical of existing society. There was a moment in our lives (or a month, or a year) when certain facts appeared before us, startled us, and then caused us to question beliefs that were strongly fixed in our consciousness-embedded there by years of family prejudices, orthodox schooling, imbibing of newspapers, radio, and television. This would seem to lead to a simple conclusion: that we all have an enormous responsibility to bring to the attention of others information they do not have, which has the potential of causing them to rethink long-held ideas."

-Howard Zinn, 1922-2010

Hesse

"People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest."

""I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me."

-Herman Hesse

Know Your Food

Chilean Author Isabel Allende on Haiti, Immigration, and Latin America

Solidarity in Martinique and America

"Our solidarity is first with our brothers of the neighboring islands and secondly with the nations of South America."

-The Martinican Creolists: Jean Bernabe, Patrick Chamoiseau, & Raphael Confiant

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Las Meninas
by: Diego Velazquez

Thinking versus Doing

Don't spend more time thinking about doing something rather than doing it.

Technology & Civilization

Technology is not a sign of civilization, even the most barbaric of cultures may have the greatest of technologies.

Creoleness

"Creoleness is the interactional or transactionnal aggregate of Caribbean, European, African, Asian, and Levantine cultural elements, united on the same soil by the yoke of history."
-Jean Bernabé

The Key to Success

The key to success, whatever that may entail, is self discipline.

Featured Painting

Tiger Drinking from a Raging River
by: Kano Sansetu

Wisdom

Wisdom is gained through the accumulation of experience, of pain.

Future

Future.
An extreme respect and disregard for tradition
and the past.
An obsession and distrust for novelty
and the future.

Victims, Victors, & Transcendence

The victors write and control history, and it can be assumed, every other discourse in the history of mankind. The victims are left behind, without a voice, left to fend for themselves in the struggle for victory. Recently there has been more attention given to the victims of history, a subject called history from the ground up. However, this revolutionizing of discourse, while staying within the traditional space opened for the discourse, does not go beyond the cycle of victims becoming victors.

In order for the victim to become the victor, the victim must do whatever was done to them to another people. They must learn to victimize others, and grasp proudly there victory. This is the cycle of violence visible in our history up to the present.

To become victorious means to victimize, this must be transcended.

The Realization of Beauty

Is the realization of beauty possible? The realization of beauty is without comparison, as beauty is not a measurement.

Featured Painting

Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre
By: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861)

Featured Poem

Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.

Al andar se hace camino
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino
sino estelas en el mar...

Todo pasa y todo queda,
pero lo nuestro es pasar,
pasar haciendo caminos,
caminos sobre el mar.

-Antonio Machado