existentialism
Definitions
A philosophical theory that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will.
A 20th-century philosophical movement centered on the analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for their acts of free will.
Examples
The philosophy course explored how existentialism emphasizes individual freedom and the search for meaning in an indifferent universe.
Many of Jean-Paul Sartre's novels serve as literary explorations of the core tenets of existentialism.
Synonyms
phenomenology humanism subjectivism philosophy of existence individualism