historical development of existentialism and phenomenology
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Western Philosophy: 20th-21st Centuries
Write a 700-1050-word analytical essay in which you describe the historical development
of Continental philosophy's existentialism and phenomenology as a response to Hegelian
idealism. Pay special attention to the key contributors and principle issues of the time.
Follow APA style guidelines, and post your essay as an attachment.
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Solution Summary
What are the principal issues of existentialism and phenomenology? Did these philosophies develop develop as a reaction to Hegelian idealism? Who are the key contributors?
These are some of the issues this post addresses.
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The beginnings of existential philosophy can be traced back to the beginning of the 19th century as a counterattack to what was perceived to be a one-sided consequence of German idealism. In Hegel's system, for instance, the individual was generally understood to be reduced to a mere phase in the development of the universal Mind or absolute Idea. So the concrete individual tends to be lost in the expression of this universal concept. Existential philosophy was therefore an attempt to reassert the independence and uniqueness of the individual person in the face this tyranny of the universal idea. Existential philosophers call the individual an existence, thereby conferring on him/her meaning and dignity and freedom.
Soren Kierkegaard's existentialist philosophy was the major breakthrough for existential philosophy. Kierkegaard wanted to allow the individual person live out the fullness of her own human existence or what Heidegger later called dasein. According to Kierkegaard, the individual person takes her own destiny into her own hands. The individual ...
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