Flipped Learning Activity- Existentialism

 Flipped Learning Activity- Existentialism

 This blog is written as response to the task given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir on the 20th century movement called The Existentialism as part of Flipped Learning activity at The Department of English, MKBU.

In this task to understand Existentialism we were given several video resources, by watching those videos we have to understand the movement of Existentialism.

Thought that I like the most:

From video 1,

“It's only after realizing the absurdity of life or living in despair that you can fully devote yourself to God and understand him and this can not be preached or achieved by being a part of the herd or community.”

Video that I liked the most 

I have been learning about existentialism by watching 10 videos. The first six were helpful, but the seventh video from the Academy of Idea channel was the best. It covered a lot of topics like where existentialism came from and famous people who were part of it.

Existentialism is a complex philosophical movement that explores what it means to be human and the ways in which we interact with the world around us. It emerged in the 19th century with the work of philosophers like Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, and gained popularity in the 20th century with the works of figures like Sartre, Camus, Heidegger, and Kafka.

One of the central themes of existentialism is the human condition, or the idea that humans are inherently free and responsible for their own choices and actions. This means that we have the power to create our own meaning and purpose in life, rather than relying on external sources of authority or meaning.

The video also talked about important ideas like what it means to be human and how we relate to God. One idea that caught my attention was the difference between existentialism and nihilism. Both ideas can make life seem meaningless, but existentialism says we can make our own meaning, while nihilism says there is no meaning at all.

 Another important aspect of existentialism is the concept of the divine and the human. Many existentialist philosophers reject traditional religious beliefs and instead emphasize the importance of individual choice and personal experience. They argue that humans are separate from God or any other higher power, and must make their own way in the world.

Finally, existentialism is often contrasted with nihilism, which is the belief that life is ultimately meaningless and that there is no inherent purpose or value in the universe. While both existentialism and nihilism can be characterized by a sense of meaninglessness or emptiness, existentialism emphasizes the importance of individual choice and freedom in creating meaning, whereas nihilism tends to reject the possibility of any inherent meaning or purpose in life.

Good Thought in video about Existentialism:

“Existentialism is an attitude that recognizes the unresolvable confusion of the human world, yet resists the all-too- human temptation to resolve the confusion by grasping toward whatever appears or can be made to appear firm or familiar…The existential attitude begins with a disoriented individual facing a confused world that he cannot accept.”

Robert Solomon- 

From Hegel to Existentialism.

'Existentialism stresses that what we need most is not a divine perspective of the human conditions but a human perspective.'

'When we come to fully accept that the only existence we can be certain of is a temporal one, the shock of such a realization can help us give strength to stop living in conformity with the masses and instead take control of our own lives and live by standards and values of our own choosing.'