Existentialism is a philosophical movement that originated between the 19th and 20th centuries. This current focused on the study of the human condition, emotions, individual commitment and freedom. Existentialism restored man to his role as an individual, placing him in the middle of philosophical reflection and distinguishing him as an unattached and totally self-conscious being.
Among the most outstanding characteristics of this theory are:
His focus is on man's own existence, his being, and the search for solutions to man's problems. The reason is not the only one that shows the reality, even the most elementary feelings such as frustration and anguish are able to show it. Pessimism is accentuated within this philosophy. However, despite the marked pessimism, existentialism conceives that only man exists and that only he is capable (even within pessimism) of finding positivism and conceiving his own essence. Man is free and he is the only one to create his world.
The popularity of existentialism arises after the Second World War, as a relief of thought and the loss of values that this conflict left behind.
There are three schools of existentialist reasoning: Atheist existentialism, agnostic existentialism, and Christian existentialism.
Atheist existentialism has as its fundamental principle the rejection of all immaterial, metaphysical or religious beliefs. According to this current, human nature does not exist, because there is no God who creates it; it is man who perceives himself as being and is the only one who will determine what he wants to be. Among the most prominent exponents of this school are: Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.
Christian existentialism is distinguished by raising the possibility of a religious stage as a hypothesis of salvation; this school resorts to religious foundations such as original sin, loss of innocence, etc. To define the metaphysical principle, as a concrete probability of men. Another characteristic feature is the affirmation that the highest good that every human being can find is his own vocation. Among its most important exponents were: Gabriel Marcel and Soren Aabye Kierkegaard.
Agnostic existentialism was based on observations and experiences. This doctrine considers religion as an important element in the culture and history of human beings, as well as does not refute the existence of a God, however it believes that it is something that cannot be proven or evidenced. Its greatest exponents were: Martin Heidegger and Albert Camus.
