Existentialism Essay Essay Example for Free

Existentialism Essay Essay Ever wonder why we have the term â€Å"free will† or where it originated? People believe that an individual can discover themselves as a person and choose how to live by the decisions they make; well this is where the word existentialism comes into play. Existentialism has been around since the early nineteenth century with Soren Kierkegaard’s philosophical and theological writings which, in the twentieth century, would be recognized as existentialism. The term was first coined by Gabriel Marcel, the French philosopher and later adopted by Jean-Paul Sartre, Friedrich Nietzsche and other philosophers for whom human existence were key philosophical topics; but Kierkegaard is known as the â€Å"Father of Existentialism†. Existentialism proposes that man is full of anxiety and despair with no meaning in his life, simply existing, until he made a decisive choice about the future. That is the way to achieve dignity as a human being. Existentialists felt that adopting a social or political cause was one way of giving purpose to life. Since then, existentialism has been used by writers such as Hamlet, Voltaire, Henry David Thoreau, in Buddha’s teachings, and more. Throughout the years, existentialism has been viewed from various lenses to express different ideas, emotions, as well as to expand the thought process of readers, movie go’ers, and theater lovers everywhere and has been excessively used in Kurt Vonnegut’s anti-war novel Slaughterhouse Five, Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot, and in the movie Inception. Existentialism is a concept that became popular during the Second World War in France, and just after it. French playwrights have often used the stage to express their views about anything going on in the world. There were hidden meanings that were common throughout the period so that plays would be able to pass without being banned or censored. One who wrote best-selling novels, plays and widely read journalism as well as theoretical texts during this period was Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre had been imprisoned in Germany in 1940 but managed to escape and become one of the leaders of the Existential movement in France. Sartre dealt with existentialist themes in his 1938 novel Nausea and the short stories in his 1939 collection The Wall, and had published his treatise on existentialism, Being and Nothingness in 1943, but it was in the two years following the liberation of Paris from the German occupying forces that he and his close associate became internationally famous as the leading figures of a movement known as existentialism. A major theme throughout his writings was freedom and responsibility. One other extremely popular writer and playwright during the same time as Sartre, as well as a close friend, was Albert Camus. In a short amount of time, Camus and Sartre became the leading public intellectuals of post-war France achieving, by the end of 1945, a fame that reached across all audiences. (Existential Primer: Albert Camus) Camus rejected the existentialist label and considered his works to be concerned with facing the absurd. In the Titular book, Camus uses the analogy of the Greek myth of Sisyphus to demonstrate the futility of existence. In the myth, Sisyphus is condemned for eternity by the gods to roll a rock up a hill; when he reaches the summit, the rock will roll to the bottom again. Camus believes that this existence is pointless yet Sisyphus ultimately finds meaning and purpose in his task, simply by continually applying himself to it. For Camus, this related heavily to everyday life, and he saw Sisyphus an absurd hero, with a pointless existence. Camus felt that it was necessary to wonder what the meaning of life was and that the human being longed for some sense of clarity in the world, since if the world were clear, art would not exist. (Existential Primer: Albert Camus) The Myth of Sisyphus became a prototype for existentialism in the theatre and eventually inspired Beckett to write Waiting for Godot. In Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, existentialism manifests itself in a few ways; the frustration of trying to understand the meaning in life, the continued repetition seen throughout the play, and the inability to act. What remains archetypal in Waiting for Godot, concerning the absurdist metaphor is the way in which each character relies on the other for comfort, support, and most of all, meaning. Vladimir and Estragon desperately need one another in order to avoid living a lonely and meaningless life. The two together functions as a metaphor for survival, like the characters that proceed and follow them, they feel compelled to leave one another, but at the same time compelled to stay together. They consider parting, but, in the end, never actually part. Andrew Kennedy explains these rituals of parting saying, each is like a rehearsed ceremony, acted out to lessen the distance between time present and the ending of the relationship, which is both dreaded and desired(57). Therefore, Vladimir and Estragons inability to leave each other is just another example of the uncertainty and frustration they feel as they wait for an explanation of their existence. One of the most prevalent themes in Waiting for Godot is Estragon and Vladimir’s inability to act. When Estragon says â€Å"Let’s go†, Vladimir says â€Å"We can’t†¦ We’re waiting for Godot† (page 7). They are not even sure that Godot will come, or that they are waiting at the right place. Even if he doesn’t come, they plan to wait indefinitely. Even if he doesn’t come, they plan to wait indefinitely. After witnessing Pozzo’s cruelty to Lucky, Vladimir and Estragon are outraged. Yet they are still unable to do anything to improve Lucky’s situation. Pozzo lets Estragon and Vladimir know that they do not have control over their immediate future or even their distant future. When talking about the mysterious twilight, Estragon and Vladimir relate to waiting for Godot. So long as they know what to expect, waiting is their only course of action. Since Estragon and Vladimir can never make a decisive choice about what they want to do or about their future, their life seems to have no meaning.

Nanotechnology Essay -- Cause Effect Papers

Nanotechnology Jeremy Rifkin wrote, in his article Biotech Century: Playing Ecological Roulette with Mother Natures Design, "Humans have been remaking the Earth for as long as we have had a history." Well the path of history humans have chosen to take also affects how we remake the Earth. In Neal Stephensons novel, The Diamond Age, one is shown how the technology of the time reshapes the political, economical and educational aspects of history. That technology is the manipulation of molecules into atomic-sized machines called nano-machines. Stephenson brilliantly shows how such a powerful and truly revolutionary technology like nanotechnology could change life, as we now know it, or they in the future know life. Nanotechnology, as nanotechnology exists in The Diamond Age, is well developed and highly used. Matter compilers use nanotechnology to make most mass-produced consumer products, and most matter compilers are powered by resource suppliers called Feeds. Those who control the Feeds control nan otechnology and have a great amount of political and economical power. These same individuals or groups of individuals called phyles usually represent those who hold most the wealth and political sway in the world. That power and wealth then causes the wealthy citizen or phyle to take for granted what they have so well. Such things include the best education, the nicest material possessions, inheritance, and even responsibility. However, what if that same technology that made the privileged, the privileged, was given to the masses, rich or poor, with the tools and talents to implement such technology? In a sense, making that same power that the upper class took for granted a great equalizer for society to play around with. This is w... ...would be excluded from nanotechnologys reach. Political power could be created and destroyed in a day; education would no longer be a problem in a sense of the uneducated being a problem; the world would no longer seem to get smaller because we could make the world bigger if need be- and if there was no more room to expand out, we could always expand up. The power of nanotechnology might seem like a blessing, but if nanotechnology were really as capable as Neal Stephenson made it, then I would be putting in for assignment relocation- probably to a more primitive planet Works Cited Rifkin, Jeremy. Biotech Century: Playing Ecological Roulette with Mother Natures Design, The Presence of Others. 3rd Edition. Eds. Lunsford, Andrea. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins. 2000. (244-254) Stephenson, Neal. The Diamond Age. New York: Bantam Books. 1995.

Crime and Rival Gang Member Essay

The Outsiders tells a story about two kids named Johnny and Ponyboy who are in a gang called the Greasers. They live in a wrong doing world of gangs and fights. After Johnny protects Ponyboy by killing a rival gang member named Bob, the two boys run away. A young criminal named Dally helps them escape. After an incident with a burning church Johnny dies and Dally dies soon after because of the sorrow Johnny’s death caused him. In the novel The Outsiders, S. E Hinton demonstrates that violence can lead to nothing more than emotional hardships, crime, and death. The smallest act of crime can often lead to inner adversity. For instance, Johnny’s parents would beat him and left him feeling safer in a gang or in a parking lot. Due to the parents hurting Johnny he was forced to live a life in a gang, a life of crime, and violence. Johnny felt as if no cared and that even if he lived in a gang his parents wouldn’t do anything. Another example is when Darry hits Ponyboy for being late home and Ponyboy runs away. Darry â€Å"wheeled around and slapped (Ponyboy) so hard that it knocked (him) against the door,† that causes emotional tension that gets in the way of family. A small act of violence makes Ponyboy dash away from their home and create division between the two brothers. The final example is when Johnny dies and Ponyboy gets traumatized. The death of Johnny made Ponyboy so confused that he altered and denied reality. Ponyboy was significant on Ponyboy he wasn’t in the right mind for a while. Crime is frequently the result of an act of violence. The felony of Bob trying to kill Pony boy left Johnny having to kill him. ‘They put you in the electric chair for killing people,’ and it is only because violence was committed. The crime of Bob trying to kill Ponyboy resulted in his death. The gangs fought and did many illegal things that made them always on the look out for cops. Just because people may not like each other doesn’t mean crime need s to be committed. Most of the time crime is involved people get hurt. Lastly Dally robbed a grocery store and the cops ended up firing their weapons at him. When a misdeed happens it is either caused by violence or started with violence whether it’s the police or a gang. The felony Dally committed soon after cost him his life. One of the most cruel and harsh effects of felony is the consequence of death. One example is that Johnny gets beaten up by Socs and the next time they try and harm him he kills Bob. The fear that the Socs would hurt him resorted to Johnny killing Bob. A kid with a pocketknife who is scared to get hurt can lead to a devastation effect. Secondly is when Johnny dies in the fire. The murder of Bob made Johnny run away and directed him into feeling like he had to risk his life to save the kids in the church. Because Johnny was guilty with murder it sadly lead to his death. In the end of it all he died because of his act of violence to Bob. Lastly the message repeats itself when Dally dies out of sorrow of Johnny’s death. The death of one made Dally kill himself by pulling a gun on the cops. Johnny’s death was the cause and end of Dally’s. Violence is an action that can only end in pain and misery. Violence in today’s society would lead to the collapse of a civilized world. As the world advances with protection and security, less hostility will be shown and the world will become a better place for future generations. With all the progress in technology we shall never expel violence itself. Although violence won’t be destroyed, it is up to us to suppress or reduce death and acts of violence. The world needs to try and stop the terrible action from ever happening again.

China - The Epicenter of Overpopulation Essay example

China - The Epicenter of Overpopulation In 1999 the world population reached six billion. Roughly 200,000 lives have been added each day since then, about one small city a week. This population boom however, is not evenly distributed throughout the globe. In fact, many countries in Europe have experienced negative population growth in the last ten years. It is the developing nations of our world that are most responsible for the exponential increase the world has begun to experience. The busy-bodied human mind has rushed and hurried to find tech-fixs to sustain our ever growing population. The population should have hit a glass ceiling a few billion people ago, many argue that it has explaining the 1-2 billion people dying of†¦show more content†¦The population was further pushed when communist party leader Mao Zedong encouraged everyone to have as many children as possible. At this time, China was relatively weak and did not have much equipment in their military force, but Mao assured them that in the case of a p ossible war with Japan (which never happened) they would have numbers. In 1979 leader Deng Xiaoping recognized the disaster that Chinas population had become and implemented the one child policy. The one child policy in China stated that each couple would be allowed to have one child. The intention was that the birth rate would be immediately lowered and the population growth would slow. Cadres were spread throughout the country to regulate birth rates in the many rural villages and throughout the cities. There were exceptions to the policy; if the first born child of a couple was a girl, they were allowed to try for a boy. Additionally if two people remarried and had children from previous marriages they were allowed to have another child. In 93 China reported to the world that they had met their 10 year population quota. This shocked the world and investigations began on how the PRC could regulate population growth to the extent that they did. Slowly truths emerged about the alarming rates of abortion and sterilization. Today, abortion and sterilization are not as nearly wide spread and infanticide is relatively low.Show MoreRelatedCapitalism And The Need For Rebellion And Protest1731 Words   |  7 Pagescreate a profit, to do so they had to focus on â€Å"events that influenced day-to-day business and how the pursuit of profit affected people worldwide (Robbins 68). Up until this point Europe was the epicenter of global importance, with the expansion of international trade the importance shifted to China. Once the trade opportunities were becoming less profitable the only option was to continue with the discovery of the New World. With the New World and stronger emphasis was placed on colonies, EuropeanRead MoreThe Legacy Of The Railroad3488 Words   |  14 Pagesthe Railroad: As early as 1850, Chinese American immigrants began to arrive on the California shores . Rumors of the Gum Sham, the Mountain of Gold legend that stemmed from the 1850 California Gold Rush, reached the Canton province of China. Poverty and overpopulation in the Canton province led to the willing migration of these working class laborers. When these workers arrived, they were originally hired as indentured servants of sorts, taking five-year â€Å"stints† in the mines. After their contractRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesâ€Å"nuclear politics,† which encompasses both state initiatives and popular dissent, in former but diminished national great powers such as France and Great Britain and in emerging and aspiring high-tech states of very different sorts in Israel, India, and China. Equally impressive in terms of the global range of questions they include, Hecht and Edwards look at the impact of the nuclear nations’ quest for viable, stable sources of uranium and sites for testing nuclear devices in locales as disparate as