Prelude
An introduction to The Existential Reader
Existentialism is said to have begun with Søren Kierkegaard, yet it wasn’t until the 1940s, almost a century after his death, that the term was coined by French philosopher Gabriel Marcel. Probably the most well-known philosopher to self-identify as an existentialist, however, is Jean-Paul Sartre, whose proposition that existence precedes essence is a key principle of existentialism, and often an entry point into the philosophy. What Sartre means by this proposition is that we are not born with a predefined purpose or meaning, nor are we designed by a higher power. Instead, we exist first, and it is through our actions and choices that we create who we are.
To abide by this proposition, then, is to believe that a person creates their own essence. Though I agree we are not born predetermined to become a certain person, or have a certain personality, there is something about the proposition I find problematic. What role do external factors play in the development of a person’s essence? Does Sartre’s proposition take into account a person’s environment, for example, or of things that happen to us that are beyond our control, and that are contributing factors in the formation of the person we become? By claiming existence precedes essence, is Sartre arguing that we choose our responses to our environments, and to the events that shape us? Is the nurture element dismissed entirely?
Or does Sartre have a more empowering meaning to his proposition, one that encourages us, no matter what hand we are dealt in life, to take control of our own destinies? That seems to be too unrealistic, at least to my mind. Too many things get in the way. In adulthood the tyranny of wage labour, as laid out by Marx in his theory of alienation, alienates us from our ‘species-being,’ meaning from our true selves - our essence. In childhood there is, as already mentioned, the nurturing aspect, as well as schooling. That may sound odd on the surface, but the way schooling is set up in capitalist society, in my opinion, is designed to mould a child into an employable adult, a person able to contribute to society through employment. And if I’m wrong on this, there is still the fact that the education we receive throughout childhood is not tailored to the individual, and therefore unable to hone in on the individual’s interests and abilities.
Regardless of my personal views, we can see how problematic the proposition becomes when put under scrutiny. Every facet of society is a potential obstacle to an autonomous construction of our own essence. Rather than be seen as a definitive statement, then, Sartre’s proposition opens up questions on how, once existence begins, essence is created.
Another problematic aspect is the preoccupation the statement has with the theological. The concern rests on whether or not we are created by a divine being, for a specific purpose, with a predetermined plan. This, in itself, is not the issue. Rather, as already laid out, taking control of our own construction, having self-determination over the person we want to become, rests primarily on external factors. It is not enough to say “Life is what you make it,” for example, or to believe that the responsibility for how a person’s life plays out rests purely with the individual themself. External factors often take those choices away from us. Increasingly so, I would argue, in the modern age.
That’s where The Existential Reader comes in, to explore art, culture, and society from an existential perspective. In the unchartered territory of the digital age, standing on the precipice of the next technological evolution and the emergence of AI, what it means to be human, the meaning of existence, and how we can find purpose and meaning to our lives in a society that is seemingly determined to diminish it, take on an added importance.
Rather than being separate philosophies, existentialism and alienation have evolved to form an intrinsic alliance. A concept with various interpretations and causations, alienation can be, at first glance, difficult to diagnose. This is further complicated by the nature of the modern world, with new strains emerging out of our migration into cyberspace.
Living in a capitalist society, the primary thought on alienation will be placed on Marx. Despite claims to the contrary in mainstream discourse, Marx is far from being discredited. His critique of capital and observations of wage labour and worker exploitation remain valid, and will, one suspects, continue to do so for as long as capital dictates our society.
At worse, it can be said that Marx is making a comeback. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many thought that Marx’s ideas had been disproven for good. Francis Fukuyama, in his book The End of History and the Last Man, sought to declare the victory of free market enterprise and liberal democracy as the final destination for humanity, with no conceivable alternative for the organisation of human societies. In response, Jacques Derrida coined the term, hauntology, a portmanteau of ‘haunting’ and ‘ontology',’ in his book, The Spectres of Marx. In the book, Derrida argues that Marx, though seemingly exorcised, remains a presence in Western society. Though his ideas, or the threat of his ideas, have diminished, they remain in a spectral capacity, haunting the capitalist world.
Derrida’s concept of hauntology was expanded on in the works of Mark Fisher, whose work explores how the past continues to haunt the present, and how it shapes our world in ways we may not even fully realize. In today’s digital landscape, the presence of the past is more pronounced than ever. Old cultural forms, political promises, and lost futures linger as ghostly echoes, influencing how we live and perceive the world. With television and the internet, and their infinite archive of memories and the ghosts of culture past, we are constantly reminded of the past, and what could have been.
It is these three concepts, then - existentialism, alienation, and hauntology - that the The Existential Reader will explore art, culture, and society. In the long-term, I hope the publication develops into a platform for wider philosophical exploration, forming connections with like-minded thinkers.