Existentialism: The Quest for Meaning
Existentialism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes individual freedom, choice, and the search for meaning in a world where meaning is not predetermined. The movement gained prominence in mid-20th-century France, shaped by the existential crisis brought on by historical events such as the Second World War and the Nazi death camps.
These atrocities shattered many people’s faith in traditional moral, religious, and political systems, forcing them to confront profound questions about the human condition:
What does it mean to be free?
Does human life have inherent meaning, or must we create it?
How should we respond to suffering?
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Unlike philosophies that emphasize external structures or universal truths, existentialism places the individual at the center, highlighting their ability to choose and shape their reality. Prominent existentialist thinkers—including Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus—explored themes such as freedom, responsibility, authenticity, alienation, and humanity’s struggle to find meaning in an indifferent universe.
Existence precedes essence - Freedom and responsibility
Existentialists argue that without a predetermined purpose, individuals must create their own meaning, define their own identity, and establish their own values. This idea is often encapsulated in the phrase "existence precedes essence."
Essence: In many traditional philosophies and religions, essence refers to an inbuilt purpose or nature. For example, in Aristotelian thought, everything has an essence: A chair is meant to be sat on, A clock is meant to tell time, A doctor is meant to heal people etc, and humans may be thought to have a fixed moral or spiritual nature.
Existence: In contrast, existentialists like Sartre reject this idea. They believe that we are born without a predetermined essence—just existence. It is only through our choices and actions that we define our essence.
Since humans have no predetermined nature, we are completely free to define ourselves. However, with this freedom comes responsibility: We cannot rely on external structures—be they religious, political, or cultural—to define who we are. Instead, we must create our own identity and meaning through our decisions and actions.
The Quest for Meaning
Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning shares many existentialist themes, such as the search for purpose, the freedom to choose one’s response to suffering, and the ability to create meaning even in the direst of circumstances. Frankl asserts that individuals are not defined by their external conditions but by how they respond to them. His belief that “those who have a why can endure almost any how” reflects existentialist ideas about personal responsibility and meaning-making.
While Sartre and other existentialists argue that meaning is purely subjective and created by the individual, Frankl’s logotherapy suggests that meaning is something to be discovered rather than simply invented. In essence, Frankl sees meaning as external—something that exists in the world and must be found—whereas Sartre views it as internal, shaped entirely by personal choice.
However, these perspectives are not necessarily in conflict. Meaning can be both external and internal rather than purely one or the other. Frankl emphasizes that meaning exists beyond us, yet the process of discovering it is deeply personal—each individual must seek and recognize meaning in their own way. Likewise, while Sartre argues that we must actively create meaning rather than passively find it, even he acknowledges that our choices are shaped by external realities, such as circumstances, relationships, and experiences. In reality, meaning emerges through a dynamic interaction between external realities and internal interpretations. We may find meaning in life events, relationships, or values, but we ultimately shape and interpret that meaning through our own perspective and choices.
