Existentialism

[Aislin Cade]

Okay so I've always been insanely interested in all things philosophical, but never really delved into it. Well, recently I've been hanging out with an old friend of mine who has a BA in philosophy and owns a copy of everything Nietzsche ever wrote.

We got talking and he recommended that I read some existentialist stuff, even gave me a book to start off with, which I've really been enjoying. I adore existentialism and it really makes sense to me.

So the purpose for this thread is, what do you guys think of existentialism? Can you suggest any resources, online or otherwise, that I could use to further my knowledge? I'm always looking to learn more, and I learn best through interacting with other people.

As for the poll question, here's what it means.  

[engineer-of-doom]

Thanks for the link to ANGST...

I like to use my words properly and will now be more discerning in my usage. 3nodding  

[SlurpieLawvx3]

I have loved everything I've read about existentialism, but as low life as it sounds, I really didn't like any of the actual Nietzsche I read nearly as much, while he was full of interesting ideas and thoughts, he takes what feels like such an interesting and uplifting concept and makes it depressing and his dislike of women also colors his writing pretty heavily.


I liked Sartre better, but again, I found it easier to think about the philosophy when I was reading about his writing rather than reading his actual writing.

Now, I mention this, not to claim anything bad about either of these philosophers, who I do like and who's ideas I've greatly enjoyed, but instead because sometimes it really is alright to start somewhere other than the source for information on philosophy. I know that when I became interested in existentialism the first thing I did was pick up some Sartre and it very nearly drove me away from the topic entirely.

So, this clearly isn't a message for those already deep in and greatly interested (because once you're alredy there few things will stop you from learning more) but more a message to those who aren't sure if they're even interested yet or not.

------------

In other notes *smiles* a link some people might find helpful.

http://www.tameri.com/csw/exist/exist.html

And, if anyone who wonders in here hasn't already seen, "ihearthuckabees"
it's a really good movie just as movies go, and it deals with existentialism in a very nice semi-serious comidic way that's like and easy going without being totally uninformative, and seems like a good catalyst movie for someone who's interested but unsure, or for someone who's trying to get someone unsure interested. *smiles* Plus, it's just an awesome movie.  

[bluecherry]

(off topic: Didn't you just win last week's avatar arena? ninja I think so, congratulations.)

I'll get back to this topic once I've finished following the run away train of links in wikipedia articles that started when I was trying to read the wikipedia article you linked to in the first post. sweatdrop (I get so easily side tracked by all the links in wiki articles is the one problem I have with going on wikipedia. It can take me several hours before I get to the end of the one article I started reading.) I was a little surprised though that such a well known philosophy is not (or at least I didn't see it where it should be) included in the alphabetical reference I have linked to in one of the stickies here. I know a little of the basics about existentialism, but I figured I wanted to look up more details before talking much about the subject. I'm sure if you just put "existentialism" into any search engine you could find plenty of good resources. ninja

 

[SlurpieLawvx3]

bluecherry

(off topic: Didn't you just win last week's avatar arena? ninja I think so, congratulations.)

Heh, yeah, I spose I did. Slightly embarrassed to have indulged in such silliness... Though, I suppose if I was totally anti silly I wouldn't be killing time on gaia at all.

*smiles* Either way, thanks for the congrats.  

[chibi_kasumi_108]

This is a really funny song I found a couple of years ago that I think any of you will enjoy.




Existential Blues


EXISTENTIAL BLUES
Tom "T-Bone" Stankus

The elusive butterfly has just tiptoed past my door
My bonny likes the Yankees, she says "hey t-bone what's the score?"
I say "well, Reggie got 1 and 1 and 3 and 25 is 6 to 4"
Is the left wing really pinko? Colonel Sanders, what a bore.
You ask so many questions, what answers should I choose?
Is it schizoid paranoia or just existential blues?

The amenities of life have been chasing my soul
And my mind is transcendental, and I'm losing all control
And I'm sinking in the quagmire of illusions and Thoreau
I cry out "My name is T-Bone" as a hound dog digs a hole.
You ask so many questions, what answers should I choose?
Is it plain as heebie-jeebies or just existential blues?

Sailing, sailing, what is illusion, what is truth?
Sailing, sailing, over the existential blues.
God bless America, and Old Glory too.
May she always wave o'er us and the red, white and existential
blues.

Bom-idda-bom (and more blue moon noises here)
The existential blues.
Hey you can do what you want but lay off my existential blues
My blue suede existential blues.

I was on a QUEST
Walking down the road today, doo-dah, doo-dah
I was walking down the road
I was looking for the truth of life
When I came across all these little people, little people
Little people all around me.

They looked up at me and said "Hey Mister, are you tall?"
And I said "Yes I'm tall, but who are you weird little wonders?"
And they looked up at me witht their big bloodshot eyes and said
"We are the lollipop kids, the lollipop kids, the lollipop kids
We are the lollipop kids, we'd like to welcome you to munchkin land."

I said "Hey, hey, weird little wonders, I am on a quest.
Walking on the road today doo-dah, doo-dah"
I said "Hey kids I'm looking for the truth of life...
Where do I go? Who do I see?"

"Slow down mister. In order to find the truth of life, one must
see THE WIZARD!"
I said "The WIZARD????" Well where does this wizard oh wise one live?"
"You see the big green glow-in-the-dark house up on the hill?
I said "Yes, I see the big green glow-in-the-dark house up on the hill"
With the big dark forest between me and the big green glow-in-the-dark
house up on the hill. And a little old lady on a Hoover vacuum
cleaner going "I'll get you my little pretty, and your dog Toto too!"
I don't even HAVE a little dog Toto...

Such predicaments! I must forage ahead!
Walking down the road today, doo-dah, doo-dah
I must find the truth of life
I said "but you know kids, I can handle the big green glow-in-the-
dark house up on the hill, I can handle the dark forest, I can
handle the little old lady and the very strange road they're
sending me down... I've seen yellow stripes in the middle of the
road, but kids, never quite that wide!"

Alright, tighten your shorts pilgrim, and sing like the Duke:
Follow the yellow brick road
Follow the yellow brick road
Follow follow follow follow follow
Follow the yellow brick road
And ever a wonderful Wiz there was, the Wizard of Oz is
one because because because because because because
Because of the wonderful things he does.
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la
We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Well, I got a little bit tired.
Walking down the road today, doooo-dahhhhh, dooooo-daaaaahhhhhh.
A little bit tired of walking down this old blinding yellow
brick road
So I pulled my little tired body off to a little rest area,
And lo and behold there's a little field of little red
flowers out there
[Sniff] Smells so good. Whoa! Getting pretty tired.
Smells so good [sniff]
Figured I'd just strectch out for a bit in this little field of...
poppies poppies poppies poppies poppies poppies ....
I was having a really strange dream, man, you know,
Little red flowers just smell awfully good
I was having a great time
The old wizard's just going to have to wait, man.
And I'm just going to strecth out again in this field of poppies.
OhgodohgodDorothyDorothypoppiesfieldpoppiesfield...

Along came this old man in a green El Dorado two
Screeched to a halt.
A little short man with a big red nose, toting a bottle of
Yukon Jack,
Strolled up to me and said "hey, son"
I said "Old man, don't bother me, poppies poppies poppies poppies"
He said "T-Bone"
I said "wait a minute, this man knows my name! He must be...
THE WIZARD!!!!"
You must be the Wizard, the Wizard of Oz, Why have you come to
haunt me, O Wizard of Oz?
I said "Oh Wizard O Wise one, I've been on a quest
Walking down the road today, doo-dah, doo-dah
We are the lollipop kids, the lollipop kids
Follow the yellow brick road follow the...
I got tired, poppies poppies poppies poppies ...
Little man, I've been through hell!"

He said "hey, slow down, relax!"
I said "Oh Wizard, oh wise one, I've come so far to find the truth
of life"
He said "Hey, son, slow down, relax. To tell you the truth, son..."
I said "Wizard, that's what I've come to find is the truth"
He said "no, son, you've got me all wrong. To tell you the truth,
son, how can I tell you this? Uh, I've been in this field
of poppies a long time, myself, and I've come to find, son,
that the only truth in life is right here in this bottle."
I said "WIZARD!!!?!??!?"
He said "No, truly, son, in fact, I'd rather have this bottle
in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy!"

How profound, Wizard!

Some girl with psychic powers, she said "T-bone, what's your
sign"
I blink and answer "Neon," I thought I'd blow her mind.
She's reading Moby d**k, by some fruitcake named Herman.
She's chomping of some knockwurst
Are the [indeciperable] really German?
You ask so many questions, what answers should I choose?
Is this really Butte, Montana or just existential blues?

Really Butte, Montana... is as plain as heebie-jeebies...
Is it schizoid paranoia....

la-la-la-la-la-la-la

EXISTENTIAL BLUES!  

[Nietzsche-Girl]

I love Nietzsche. Obviously. (Name. Sig. Mhm).
I don't think that his dislike of women and his negitivity is that much of a detriment to his character. Look at the times he lived in. Women were useless. They didn't have any drive to be anything other than a wife. He didn't hate women, he hated the typical woman. After all, he fell in love with a highly educated radical femminist, probably one of the only strong women of his time. And as for him being depressing, what's wrong with that? To change the world you attack its faults, not what's right. Saying "Everything's good here. No comment." wouldn't really be much of a philosophy.  

[Silent Roar]

Existentialism is weird to me. I fully understand it, but I don't like to embrace it, you know?

What really gets me is when people associate existentialists with always being sad and depressed. It's totally not true.

 

[every1lafs]

"God is dead." --Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is dead." --God  

[every1lafs]

chibi_kasumi_108

This is a really funny song I found a couple of years ago that I think any of you will enjoy.


EXISTENTIAL BLUES
Tom "T-Bone" Stankus

...

She's chomping of some knockwurst
Are the [indeciperable] really German?
...

EXISTENTIAL BLUES!

..."She's chomping on a knockwurst, was the Duchess really German?"...

(Excellent song, BTW! Poppies, Poppies, Poppies.....) biggrin  

[CrandiBerry]

I suggest you read a book called "Fundamentals of Thought" by L.Ron Hubbard, a 20th century philosopher whose research expanded on the concepts You've become interested in.  

[bluecherry]

Oh? He wrote stuff that wasn't supposed to be entirely fiction (and some clearly labeled fiction that some people still insisted on believing wasn't)? Hmm.