Existentialism

Existentialism is nigh impossible to simply define. Defining it is like defining your life, which by its very nature, it is. Its faults lie not in its logic or reason, but in its presuppositions. After all, if there is no God, there cannot be a plan or pre-formed essence for anyone. But since there is a God, there is a essence to who we are, before we have ever lived. But what is it? No one can really know for certain. We are all stuck in a bitter battle between two worlds, the flesh, which is wholly depraved, and the spirit, which is from God and perfect. No human can fully be a part of both realms, save Jesus himself. Thus the question remains, how do we know who we are? You can spend your whole life searching, but will never accomplish the goal of defining yourself, beyond your name. As it stands, your name is the only things that defines who you are as a person. Because we are in this struggle as humans, we cannot sort out the conflicting sides inside us, and therefore have no basis to define ourselves. The only way to know your true identity, who you really are, is only possible when you die. When the mind and spirit are separated from the body, and the feuding is over, your essence become clear. It is not what is left behind that defines you, but what remains after death that your true identity.

Judicial Power

It appears as though the desire for power on behalf of the executive branch of the government under the Obama administration has grown to unprecedented heights. The Supreme Court always has been, and still is, the ultimate authority of Constitutionality in regards to laws. If every law passed by congress was "preemptively constitutional" then there would be absolutely no need for the Supreme Court. It has declared laws unconstitutional in the past, even dealing with the Interstate Commerce clause, it can do so now if it seems fit, and it cannot and should not be influenced by the President.

The Perils of Tolerance

The promulgation of tolerance in America has exceeded its natural limit of functionality. On every corner, in every classroom, tolerance is hammered into impressionable young hearts and minds. The conditioning is nearing the extent of a Brave New Worldian society, in which all true passions are forsaken for the most utilitarian happiness. Every conviction is abandoned to allow for society to stumble forward into mass euphoria. Beauty has been removed and replaced with the basest of human desires: food, sex, and happiness. In the communist version of social society, all sadness and despair is gone: monotony remains. The elite few who think, those who hold convictions, are ostracized. The true meaning of life is ignored. People replace the ancient search for purpose with the daily intake of happiness and amusement. However, this desire for equality cannot succeed. Even Huxley knew that a society of universal equality would always be doomed to destruction. The only way for civilization to thrive without collapsing into barbarism is to have natural, societal, hierarchical order and division. This division is the natural consequence of desire for beauty and joy. Beauty and joy cannot exist if there is no ugliness and despair. Every risk, every disease, every death serves only to make the good beautiful and the happy joyful. The modern muddle of euphoria rampant in modern society has but one solution: despair. 

The importance of education

Congressman Ed Markey once said, “Our nation’s security, economy, and place on the world stage depends on the success of our educational system.” America has always been seen as the shining beacon of democracy and has led the world through its security and economic strength. The recent drops in the economy have hurt the American image throughout the world; it is time for that to be changed.

Education leads to hope in the future. According to President Obama, “Education might not always lead to employment, but it always leads to employability.” As the economy continues to recover and grow, new jobs will be created. Every new job created must be filled with a well-trained, well-educated person. This, of course, requires a college education. In many cases, the best jobs require post-baccalaureate degrees.

A recent Harvard University study found that only 23% of Americans have received a college degree. And only 7% of those 23% have received a post-baccalaureate degree. The potential of American job quality can improve greatly as the percentage of Americans with college degrees increases. 

Every position filled is another small step in building the strength of this nation’s economy. The road is not easy, but hope can always be found in any situation. Even though the economic troubles are not yet over, every dollar spent on education is a dollar invested into the well-being of the greatest country on earth.

Philosophical Development in 19th Century

Philosophy since the late Middle Ages has been experiencing a decline. The 19^th Century came after Christianity and Reason had been discarded. Starting with Romanticism, and ending with Existentialism, the 19^th Century saw humanity lose its human identity and significance.

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge introduced the movement of Romanticism in the early 19^th Century. Its ideas, as heavily expressed in Romantic art, such as that by John Constable, stressed the importance of nature and emotion. Humanity was distinct, and must connect with the world around it. Romanticism promoted harmony and peace, since much of its art showed serene scenes and described peace.

As the Romantic Movement began to fade, a new theme emerged. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel described history as a constant cycle of clashing, synthesizing, and victory. There was always a battle between the thesis and the anti-thesis, which would merge and create a new thesis, causing an anti-thesis to emerge, which persisted throughout history. When The Communist Manifesto was published in 1848, it emphasized dialectical materialism, the ongoing class struggle of humanity. Marx and Engles explained history as a continuum beginning with complete suppression and growing towards the ideal perfect state of freedom, which they saw as communism. A decade later in 1858, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species eventually followed by Descent of Man in 1876. Darwin attempted to prove that man was just a result of evolution. The history of evolution in the world, as described by Darwin, was a struggle for survival, where only the most fit would survive. The theme of constant struggle grew out of the works of Hegel, Marx, and Darwin and brought an end to the peacefulness and optimism of Romanticism.

Towards the end of the 19^th Century, philosophy began to be remolded. Fyodor Dostoevsky introduced the idea that man was bound by the curse of freedom. Friedrich Nietzsche continued the ideas of Dostoevsky and furthered them by emphasizing that God did not exist. Freedom was now viewed as a curse because man had the freedom to define its own identity. This philosophy was fulfilled by the work of Jean-Paul Sartre in the phrase “existence precedes essence.” According to Sartre, there was no absolute concept of humanity because there was no one to establish such a concept. Thus man bore the curse of freedom to define his own essence.

The 19^th Century saw turbulent change in philosophy. While starting with Romanticism, many factors led to the emergence of existentialism. Man’s identity was no longer found in emotion or nature, but in the relative, arbitrary definitions of man itself. 

Critique of Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre lectured extensively promoting his belief in existentialism. The central tenant of existentialism, according to Sartre, is that existence precedes essence. He uses the analogy that if God exists, then he creates humans based on a concept just as a manufacturer manufactures scissors according to an established concept. However, Sartre said that God did not exist, so no concept of man exists but what man makes it. Sartre extended his philosophy to say that man always chooses what is good, or rather what is beneficial for himself, and because what is good for one man is good for man as a whole, it is good for humanity as a whole. Man creates its own subjective morals, because subjectiveness is the pillar of existentialism. But, because man is alone, he is responsible for all his choices. Sartre says this view is optimistic because it is defined by action, and is full of endless possibilities.

            Sartre believed wholeheartedly that no God existed. The only situation where existence is the greatest success in the universe is that it is the only success in the universe. This rejection of God, and of all other a priori knowledge, allowed Sartre to make his claims logically. His arguments that he makes from his presuppositions are cogent, but he never attempts to prove his presuppositions. Furthermore, the optimism of Sartre is flawed. There is no optimism if man is truly alone in this infinite universe and just evolved randomly from simple chemicals.

            Adolf Hitler wrote Mein Kampf as the Bible of his beliefs during his imprisonment. He begins by making his case against Marxism by calling it unnatural. His case quickly turns to his personal vendetta against the Jews. Hitler calls the Jews “parasites” because they always live in other peoples’ lands and they “contaminate art and literature”. He then explains the importance of preserving the Aryan race and the Volk. Hitler says that it is the state’s responsibility to uphold and protect the dominance of the Aryan race. The state also must use propaganda to control its people. In the final section, Hitler makes that case that the borders of the Deutschland must be broadened to give room for the master race to expand.

            While many of Hitler’s views are condemned as evil, and rightly so, he also had a keen perception of human nature. He was right in observing the importance of propaganda. He used man’s weakness of always following a great voice to rise to power and to remain in power. He also presents a legitimate argument against communism (He only presents it, his main case against Marxism is that it is supported by Jews). However, overall, Hitler’s views were clouded by his extreme hatred of other races, especially the Jews, and of his emotion rather than reason.

            Sartre represented a final break from the reason and philosophy of history. His view of individual absolutism disagrees with every major philosopher in history. The ancient Greeks believed in the supremacy and authority of the gods. Socrates and Plato were the first to introduce the idea of an absolute Good. Christianity then emerged as the major philosophy for over a century. Humanism then grew out of the ideas of Erasmus and More. As the Roman Catholic Church began to absorb humanism, true Christianity reemerged under the leadership of Luther and Calvin. Then Descartes and Bacon rejected the absolute standards found in Christianity and used reason as an absolute. Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau continued to use reason as the absolute to guide Civilization until Immanuel Kant exposed its flaws. Darwin introduced the idea that man is just matter, and is just a result of nature which led to the emergence of Romanticism. Romanticism was the final attempt to find the absolute to guide Civilization. Dostoevsky and Nietzsche finished Darwin’s work of eliminating the idea of God. Finally, Sartre espoused the idea that existence is the foundation of everything. As Sartre showed, subjectivism and relativism are the foundations of existentialism. His ideas reflect the mechanistic worldview of Darwin. If we were truly just the result of billions of years of chance mutations, then existentialism would be correct, however we are each created in the image of God, and reflect his glory. Our existence and our essence together come from God. The existence of God and his essence has existed since the beginning when there was the “Word, who was with God and who was God.” God’s being is necessary to man because in him, and him alone, is eternal joy and glory. 

Homer and Aesop analysis

The Greeks, now landed near Troy, have set up their camps. They go out and plunder the countryside and take back a priest’s daughter as loot. Agamemnon takes the girl as his own. The priest curses the Greeks because they would not return his daughter and disease breaks out in the camp. Achilles notices the misfortunes and immediately sees that it is a result of insulting the gods and goes before Agamemnon to convince him to return the girl, and in doing so, appease the gods to stop death from ravaging the camp. Agamemnon refuses and Achilles storms out. Achilles continues to argue with Agamemnon and has a prophet tell Agamemnon of his fault. Finally, Agamemnon submits to the demands of Achilles and returns the girl along with a sacrifice to Apollo.

Through his work, Homer shows that the Greeks have a very strong devotion to family. The reason of the whole war is to protect a family member’s reputation and escalated from a two person conflict to one of two nations. Agamemnon is often called the son of Atreus or called by his family name. Achilles also is strongly devoted to his mother, a goddess. It is also evident that the gods play a central role in Greek life. It was because of Agamemnon’s disrespect for the gods that hundreds of Greek soldiers died. This section of The Iliad contains nearly as many gods as it does people demonstrating the great role they played.

Aesop tells 13 different stories, all containing a lesson. He mostly uses animals or insects to tell his stories. He begins with a tale of frogs crying out to Jove for a ruler. He sends them a log as their ruler. They realize that it is not living and cry out again for a real ruler. This time Jove sends a stork that eats all the frogs. He ends with the saying, “Better no rule than cruel rule.” This same pattern continues for stories containing ants and grasshoppers, a wolf disguised as a sheep, talking lions, mice, and other creatures.

These stories also contain many references to the gods. His use of animals rather than humans allows his audience to see the brevity of the fault and then apply it to their own lives. The morals of his stories mainly involve the downfalls for desiring something selfishly, or the rewards that can be received if someone shows kindness or wisdom.

Both Homer and Aesop have polytheism weaved into their stories. While far more potent in Homer, it is still prevalent in Aesop as well. However, there are also mentions of the one God in Aesop’s writings. Many of Aesop’s virtues are found in Scripture. The story about the frogs crying out for a ruler is a microcosm of the Israelites plea for a king. The fable of the body parts working together emphasizes that the body must work in unity, each part doing their own work for the good of the body as a whole. This same imagery is stressed by Paul who tells us that we as believers make up the body of the church with Christ at the head. The saying at the end of the fable, “train up a child in the way he should go”, is found in Proverbs. The wolf in sheep’s clothing is similar to the warning of false prophets that appear to be harmless in Matthew. The ideals of Aesop, whether Christian or not, are biblical. Additionally, Aesop’s writings do connect with old Greek myths. The fable of the dog and the bone, in which the dog is carrying a bone and sees his refection wherein the bone looks larger so he tries to grasp it but loses his bone instead, is very like Narcissus who sees his own reflection in the water and cannot stop looking at it. Both involve the character getting too caught up in what they see to be cognizant of what they truly have. Homer does not share the same worldview as Aesop. The intertwining of the gods in the story shows the Greeks belief in polytheism rather than the Christian monotheism. Fate also, is found in The Iliad, where it is beyond the control of the gods. When juxtaposed to the omnipotent God, the frailty of the Greek gods is shown as well as the hopeless paganism of the Greeks, who rather than hoping in the merciful God that works everything out for the good of those who love him, put their hope in powerless gods who are all subject to fate.