A movement in philosophy that says individuals create meaning in their own lives through their choices and actions, rather than receiving a fixed meaning from outside. It often deals with themes like freedom, anxiety, and the search for purpose.
Built from *existential* (relating to existence) plus *-ism* (a system of beliefs). It grew as a label for the ideas of 19th–20th century thinkers like Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Camus about human existence and meaning.
Existentialism flips the usual idea of life: instead of finding a ready-made purpose, you’re the one who has to invent it. That’s both terrifying and liberating—there’s no script, but that also means no one else gets to write your story for you.
Existentialism is often narrated through male philosophers such as Sartre and Camus, overshadowing women existentialists. Simone de Beauvoir and other women thinkers significantly shaped existentialist thought, especially around freedom, gender, and embodiment, but are frequently treated as secondary.
When discussing existentialism, include women and non‑male philosophers in examples and citations, not only canonical male figures.
Simone de Beauvoir, Simone Weil, and other women philosophers made foundational contributions to existentialism and its applications to ethics, politics, and gender; acknowledging them corrects a common erasure in philosophy curricula.
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