we are going back and back to existentialism, 1940s, a long time ago. sartre's notion was that who were really were--what we made ourselves into--could be called essence, and that it came about through our choices. it wasn't pre-given by anything, not genes, nothing physical, etc. there was a worldly context into which we were "thrown," as heidegger said, but we made ourselves by acting, by making choices. that was the basic idea.
camus wasn't particularly interested in these issue. for sartre, once we realize the weight of what our choices and freedom meant, we experienced nausea. for camus, throwing our questions out into the universe, and realizing there were no answers coming back, confronting that condition, gave rise to what he called the absurd, which is embodied in meurseult.
if we were to talk about philosophy since, its so many multiple mutations and preoccupations, we'd never leave the keyboards again
to change the orientation of the discussion, such ideas of existentialism were coexistent with the theatre of the absurd, to which beckett and other post war writers contributed. their preoccupations seem so very distant from those of their african co-temporal thinkers and writers. for africa the word freedom meant something radically different from what it meant for the existentialists.
two different sides to the ocean of colonialism.
ken
kenneth harrow
professor emeritus
dept of english
michigan state university
517 803-8839
harrow@msu.edu
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2019 2:17:59 PM
To: 'Ayotunde Bewaji' via USA Africa Dialogue Series
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Buhari on Existentialism
If we are looking for the history of the expression "existence precedes essence," we need, of course, to admit that the idea had been in existence in the philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard. It is, however, Jean-Paul Sartre, who coined and gave it a profound philosophical grounding. This much is clear from his essay, "Existentialism is Humanism." It is actually correct to claim, as Biko has, that "existentialism is the European belief that existence comes before essence" For a short essay like his, it is not necessary to trace a long history of the term he is using. One can comfortably rely on the philosophy of either Sartre or Camus to situate that argument. Indeed, neither of these two philosophers believes in essence. So, they would argue that not only does existence precede essence, there is, indeed, no essence. There is existence. Period. Gabriel Marcel is often called a Christian existentialist because he admits of some form of essence: God. In response to Sartre's denial of God and hope (see his play No Exit), Marcel argues for exactly the opposite. There is God. There is hope. Humans are not hell to other humans.
So, dear O O, you are right that Biko knows how to pontificate. This time around, you seem to have out-pontificated him in your summary dismissal of his reliance on the well-known expression in existentialism.
I thought that the double error (logical and historical) implicit in O B's unqualified characterization "Existentialism is the European belief that existence comes before essence") was apparent. Even Gabriel Marcel who coined the term and applied it initially to a particular European who popularized it did not use it dogmatically. All I am saying to O B: Please beware/be aware of the = sign when pontificating.--
to simplify this, nowadays no one believes in essence. "essentialism" is a criticism on student term papers, meaning we are supposed innately determined rather than constructed; constructionism is the dominant belief nowadays.
ken
kenneth harrow
professor emeritus
dept of english
michigan state university
517 803-8839
From: 'Adeshina Afolayan' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2019 3:38:32 AM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Buhari on Existentialism--Dear OO,Your response to Oga Biko's characterization of existentialism is a rejection without an explanation. You seem to think that summarizing existentialism as "existence preceding essence" is misleading and accurate. And then you clammed up. What then is an accurate description?
Yes, existentialism differs from Kierkegaard and Heidegger to Sartre and Camus to Merleau Ponty. Agozino betrays this unawareness a bit with his reference to an absurd world, which is basic to Camus rather than Sartre or Heidegger. But then, all existentialists take existence as more fundamental than essence. Why is that inaccurate? What perspective are you coming from sir?
Adeshina Afolayan, PhD
Department of Philosophy
University of Ibadan
+23480-3928-8429
--On Sunday, January 27, 2019, 2:10:29 AM GMT+1, 'O O' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
"Existentialism is the European belief that existence comes before essence": A statement so misleading, so inaccurate.
On Jan 26, 2019, at 12:52 PM, 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
--This may interest some:
BUHARI ON EXISTENTIALISM
By Biko Agozino In rationalizing his suspension of the Chief Justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court, Presiden...
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