Philosophy of Pragmatism: 4 Existentialist Statements
In a recent post, we showed that pragmatism and idealism can be compatible. The true opposite of idealism is not pragmatism, it is existentialism.
Existentialism is not just a belief. It is a philosophical movement with many aspects. That makes it very difficult to define. For the sake of this series, we’ll distill it down to a few tenets.
1) The universe is indifferent.
There is no essential morality, intrinsic meaning, or fundamental purpose.
2) Everything is inexplicable.
The paradox of Logos means that the entire universe is a contradiction. We can’t fully trust even our own perceptions or memories. Rational inquiry into objective reality is a doomed venture.
3) All experiences are perfectly isolated.
The color that means green to you might appear red to someone else - but you’ve agreed to use the same word for it because you don’t know better. Your pleasure is someone else’s pain. Your joy is someone else’s purple. You cannot possibly know what anyone else experiences.
In fact, you might be only truly conscious person in the universe.
If existence is peculiar to each person, there can’t be universal ideas. There is no Logos, or God, or grand consciousness, or karma. There is also no objective reality in a way that we can meaningfully distinguish from subjective reality. Therefore: existentialism and idealism are incompatible.
4) You are responsible for your own existence.
Here’s where existentialism diverges sharply from nihilism.
Since you are living in an indifferent world that you can neither understand nor explain, you are free to do anything you want. The key is: what do you want? How do you want to exist? What experiences do you want to have? You and only you are responsible for answering those questions.
Actions have consequences. The existentialist takes actions that produce the consequences they want. They’re not conforming to duty or submitting to a higher power. They don’t even necessarily believe that what they experience is “real.” They are simply managing the chaos as best they can.
Let’s compile all of that into a definition.
Existentialism claims that life can’t be understood, and you might be the only person experiencing it. But since you are experiencing it, you might as well make the best of it.
This is a baffling worldview from the outside. How can you find anything rewarding if it doesn’t actually mean anything? How do you make the best out of something so pointless? How does an existentialist face death?
Albert Camus has a story to answer that. Stay tuned.