A Philosophical Look at Grendel

1. A Philosophical Look at Grendel Some Background to Contemplate Also Known As: Ouch! My Head Hurts!

2. Existentialism – A DefinitionExistentialism in the broader sense is a 20th century philosophy that is centered upon the analysis of existence and of the way humans find themselves existing in the world. The notion is that humans exist first and then each individual spends a lifetime changing their essence or nature. The Working Definition

3. In simpler terms, EXISTENTIALISM is a philosophy concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. The belief is that people are searching to find out who and what they are throughout life as they make choices based on their experiences, beliefs, and outlook. And personal choices become unique without the necessity of an objective form of truth. An existentialist believes that a person should be forced to choose and be responsible without the help of laws, ethnic rules, or traditions. The Working Definition

4. An existentialist could either be a religious moralist, agnostic relativist, or an amoral atheist. Kierkegaard, a religious philosopher, Nietzsche, an anti-Christian, Sartre, an atheist, and Camus an atheist, are credited for their works and writings about existentialism. The Founding Existentialists

5. The existential founders [Camus, Nietzsche, etc.] basically agree that human life is in no way complete and fully satisfying because of suffering and losses that occur when considering the lack of perfection, power, and control one has over their life. Even though they do agree that life is not optimally satisfying, it nonetheless has meaning. Existentialism is the search and journey for true self and true personal meaning in life. The Founding Existentialists

6. Existentialism takes into consideration the underlying concepts: • Human free will • Human nature is chosen through life choices • A person is best when struggling against their individual nature, fighting for life • Decisions are not without stress and consequences • There are things that are not rational • Personal responsibility and discipline is crucial • Society is unnatural and its traditional religious and secular rules are arbitrary • Worldly desire is futile Existentialism – What It Is and Isn’t

7. Existentialistic ideas came out of a time in society when there was a deep sense of despair following the Great Depression and World War II. There was a spirit of optimism in society that was destroyed by World War I and its mid-century calamities. This despair has been articulated by existentialist philosophers well into the 1970s and continues on to this day as a popular way of thinking and reasoning (with the freedom to choose one’s preferred moral belief system and lifestyle). Existentialism – Impact on Society

8. Most importantly, it is the arbitrary act that existentialism finds most objectionable-that is, when someone or society tries to impose or demand that their beliefs, values, or rules be faithfully accepted and obeyed. Existentialists believe this destroys individualism and makes a person become whatever the people in power desire thus they are dehumanized and reduced to being an object. Existentialism then stresses that a person’s judgment is the determining factor for what is to be believed rather than by arbitrary religious or secular world values.

9. Solipsism: • the philosophical theory that the self is all that you know to exist Wordnetweb.princeton.edu • A form of SCEPTICISM. Solipsism is the belief that nothing exists except my mind and the creations of my mind.abdn.ac.uk/philosophy/guide/glossary Solipsism: It’s All About ME!

10. Nihilism – Abandoning Values and KnowledgeNihilism derives its name from the Latin root nihil, meaning nothing, that which does not exist. This same root is found in the verb “annihilate” -- to bring to nothing, to destroy completely. Nihilism is the belief which: • labels all values as worthless, therefore, nothing can be known or communicated. • associates itself with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism, having no loyalties. Nihilism: Nothing is Good Enough

11. The German philosopher, *Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), is most often associated with nihilism. In Will to Power[1883-1888], he writes, “Every belief, even considering something true, is necessarily false because there is simply no true world.” For Nietzsche, there is no objective order or structure in the world except what we give it. • *you may recognize his name from Existentialism-- Nihilism: Nothing is Good Enough

12. Philosophers’ predictions of nihilism’s impact on society are grim. Existentialist, Albert Camus (1913-1960), labeled nihilism as the most disturbing problem of the 20th century. His essay, The Rebel1 paints a terrifying picture of “how metaphysical collapse often ends in total negation and the victory of nihilism, characterized by profound hatred, pathological destruction, and incalculable death.” Helmut Thielicke’s, Nihilism: Its Origin and Nature, with a Christian Answer2 warns, “Nihilism literally has only one truth to declare, namely, that ultimately Nothingness prevails and the world is meaningless." All for Nothing?

13. Ethical nihilism (moral nihilism) rejects the possibility of absolute moral or ethical values. Good and evil are vague, and related values are simply the result of social and emotional pressures. • Existential nihilism, the most well-known view, affirms that life has no intrinsic meaning or value. Stop the Insanity

14. Nihilism – A Meaningless WorldShakespeare’s Macbeth eloquently summarizes existential nihilism's perspective, distaining life: • Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more; it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. What does it all mean? Nothing.

15. Camus, Albert, The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt, Random House, Inc., New York, 1991.Thielicke, Helmut, Nihilism: Its Origin and Nature, with a Christian Answer, Greenwood Press Reprint, Westport, CT, 1969. Works Cited