5 Useful Things I’ve Learned from Existentialism

Philosophy is often too abstract, but the Existentialists are known for being (a bit) more practical occasionally. Here are 5 useful things we can learn from the Existentialists and existentialism, specifically Soren Kierkegaard, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus.

They are:

Laugh at yourself (looking at Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground and Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus)

Stop Thinking (looking at Kierkegaard’s ‘leap of faith’, ‘passionate action’, and ‘subjective truth’)

Be Creative (looking at Nietzsche and Heidegger, authenticity, the ‘They’)

All of our Projects are Connected: Treat them like Rocks (looking at Sartre)

Turn off Autopilot (Looking at Kierkegaard and ‘double reflection’)

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#existentialism #existentialists #philosophy

[maximemegroud]

I really enjoyed the part about not taking ourselves too seriously... When you're a bit of an intellectual you tend to take yourself seriously and sometimes act pretentiously while forgetting how little our certitudes are compared to the miscellany of facts that exist. Also, I guess we're just happier when we take it easy... Not my most profound commentary but this is how it feels :)

[Rose_Harmonic]

I have a special love for existentialism. Even the most minimalist version I learned from Crash Course Philosophy with Hank Green has created for me a framework to create purpose for myself based on the values I have chosen. I have decided that I value the well-being of everyone now and as deep into the future as I can imagine. I understand that I must come as close to the truth as I possibly can by always being wary of potential flaws in my own beliefs. When I combine my values with my understanding of what causes my values to be unfulfilled, I derive a perpetual purpose, a Sisyphean task of always doing the next best action necessary to advance the well-being of everyone. Right now, that means building up to the point I can start a worker co-op. A co-op that can act as a single seed that will grow a forest rather than one tree; to create an ecosystem of businesses to usurp capitalism by empowering the worker and fighting climate change. The fire inside me is never phased by the next news item of climate catastrophe or capitalism killing people because I know the next action I should take.

Of course, I need to care for myself to make this all possible. Oxygen masks and airplanes and all that.

[JamesTheTank]

Existentialism is a Humanism, part of recognizing our experience is recognizing that others are having theirs as well.

[LogicGated]

Love how this one felt like an enlightening little ramble.

[evanramirez]

Man im surprised you mentioned Damasio. His insight into the over looked importance of feelings is mind blowing yet such a no brainer when we look closer. That book is a treasure.

[katamattyon]

Fantastic video. Picked up some Kierkegaard and Camus books recently, I've been struggling to remember what I've read funnily enough. Great to see a video that underlines some key points but also gives a sense of how to learn properly.

[EricWenders]

Sartre's novel 'Nausea' amazed me and sort of saved me when I read it at age 20. I'd had some bad acid trips and was still smoking dope socially, which would sometimes bring on troubling flashbacks. More generally, though I had good friends, I felt very alone and unsure of myself and constantly plagued by a sense of not knowing who I was or how to act.

I actually don't remember the book all that well now (I should re-read it), but I remember being amazed that Sartre seemed to have gone through the same experience I was having of reality feeling hallucinatory and alien, and I understood from the ending, where he's moved by a blues song and decides to write a book that could similarly make certain people feel less alone, that the way I was comforted by this was no accident.

Much later, I learned that Sartre had taken mescaline as a young man and also had a bad trip and suffered from terrifying flashbacks, so that made it even clearer how he'd been able to reach into me and touch my acid-tainted soul so effectively.

[fighterofthenightman]

I have recently binged a lot of your videos, and they’re truly amazing! Even though I suspect we’d disagree on several issues, I love how well thought out and knowledgeable your opinions are and how open minded and intellectually curious you are!

[grantbeerling]

An old saying, (paraphrased) to understand a subject learn, think and then teach, as you can only teach well if you understand what you have learned, noting; always open to have it completely wrong and having the humility/joy/laughter to go back to the beginning. Been there more times than I can remember, the old writing your philosophy in pencil.

Just finished for the second time Graeber's book on Debt, usual brilliance shown through his joy of learning and passing on, sadly missed.

[CreativeArtandEnergy]

The finding creativity in everything has gotten me through some dark times.

[aaron]

Well done. I appreciate the 'stop thinking' part but I'd say a lack of thinking is the bigger problem. The erroneous idea of 'certainty' is partly to blame. Certainty is impossible and searching for it is a never ending, action-stifling quest. The universe operates under the rubric of probability. Some things are more probable than others and one must think to determine probability... but there's no certainty.

[TheSienn]

Hey! I love your videos so much and been a avid watcher for 2 years! I think more accessible content (top lists) is a great move for you, especially given how inaccessible some of the content can be!

[mateustravaglini]

Nice video, is just sad that Simone is out of the list... as usual... Ethics of Ambiguity is a really fine book and often overlooked.. Her optimistic view about existentialism as humanism conforts me and I think would be a nice addition.

[ReynaSingh]

You express your ideas beautifully. Great video as always

[MattStranberg]

You're amazing man, love your work and always share it with everyone I know. Keep up the great work!

[molseren]

The idea of epistemic humility is really interesting to me. Despite the world becomming increasingly specialised, social media requires us to be generalists and have an opinion about everything. We all know a little about a lot, when we in some ways could know less and admit that we dont know more often.

You know any works that tackle humility from this or a similar lense?

[msmelanie.]

Great work Lewis. The existentialist often challenge me to look at life in new ways 👌

[jeffengel]

I'm impressed by your solemnity and care while reminding us of the need to laugh at ourselves.

[InferiorPhilly]

The idea of feeling from your gut helping decide on options reminds me of early chess computers, and how one type would calculate all possible moves and the other would only calculate certain worthwhile moves.

[hotgurlpolly]

i liked this video, i find these easier to concentrate on than ones w montages and constantly changing backgrounds.