existentialist philosophy
- noun
- /ɪɡˈzɪstənʃəlɪst fəˈlɑsəfi/
- The debates surrounding existentialist philosophy often focus on themes of freedom, responsibility, and the search for meaning.
Examples
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It was in relation to existentialist philosophy and philosophy of language and to a certain extent, metaphysics.
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In college he had studied existentialist philosophy, read the works of Camus.
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It reflects more the limitation of existentialist philosophy than the enigma of absence itself.
Academic text (1997) -
Many students find existentialist philosophy intriguing because it challenges them to think about their own existence and choices.
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Existentialist philosophy emphasizes that individuals must create their own meaning in life instead of relying on external sources.
Synonyms
A way of thinking that says people are free and responsible for their own lives
A philosophy that says people create their own meaning by choosing freely and taking responsibility
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward modifier+noun combination: 'existentialist' specifies the kind of 'philosophy' (philosophy concerned with existentialist ideas about choice and freedom). A learner who knows both constituent words can reliably infer it refers to the school or body of philosophical thought, and this compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common, so it is transparent.
Etymology
Existentialist philosophy may come from the focus of existentialist thought on 'existence' and from philosophy as deep thinking about life. Imagine a person standing alone, having to choose what their life means, and this picture explains why the idea says people are free and must make their own meaning and take responsibility for their choices.