It is difficult to say why existentialism is so often mentioned by the masses today. Perhaps because of the beautiful and thoughtful name, perhaps due to a very accurate description of the “existential crisis” inherent in many. However, this does not change the essence - the term more and more often emerges in communication with educated people, and therefore to understand at least the essence of this philosophical position is becoming increasingly relevant.
Before talking about the essence of the term, it is important to note that the philosophical trend of "existentialism" has never been explicitly. The only author who called himself an existentialist was Jean-Paul Sartre, while the rest (like Kierkegaard or Jaspers) introduced into their works and actively used the term, but did not distinguish themselves in a separate flow.
The reason is that existence (ie, "existence") is not in itself a "position" or belief. It is rather a question and a topic for discussion about how each particular individual feels himself and the world around him. It is important at the same time that the person is not connected in any way and not attached to the world around him: we can say that, in this context, the whole universe revolves around a person.
If we talk about the "essence of existentialism", then it can be distinguished as "sensual knowledge of the world." In this context, the authors consider the meaning of life, attitude towards others, dependence on external circumstances and responsibility for their actions. Particular attention in the works "on existence" is given to fear and despair: it is believed that one can fully realize the fact that one "lives" only when faced with death. It is often said that all life is nothing more than a path to full awareness of the fact of one’s own being.
The central concept of this issue is the "existential crisis", vividly shown by Sartre in the novel "Nausea". It can be described as causeless longing and despair, a sense of meaninglessness and intense apathy combined. A similar crisis, according to philosophers, is the result of a loss of connection with the outside world.
To summarize, one can call existentialism a philosophy of being. She is primarily interested in frailty and meaninglessness, human weakness in the face of the world. But for all its weakness, a person, for some reason, is endowed with free will, which means that he can and must consciously accept the fact that he is alive.
