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Existentialism vs Essentialism

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Existentialism vs Essentialism
------------------------------------------------- Essentialism vs. Existentialism "Essentialism": A belief that things have a set of characteristics that make them what they are, & that the task of science and philosophy is their discovery & expression; the doctrine that essence is prior to existence

While,

"Existentialism":A philosophical theory or approach, that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free & responsible agent, determining their own development through acts of the will.

Existentialism

* is a philosophical term which posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives. Existentialism asserts that “existence precedes essence,” which is in opposition to the classical doctrine that “essence precedes existence.” The claim “existence precedes essence” is a rejection of the idea that human nature has an end or goal. In this sense, humans are free to choose their own destiny. * is a philosophical term which asserts that there is a distinction between essential and non-essential (contingent or accidental) characteristics of an object. Essentialism assumes that objects have essences and that an object’s identity is its essence. Aristotle distinguished between an object’s essence and its existence. Its essence is “what a thing is.” Its essence is “that a thing is.” An object’s essence is the collection of all the universals that it possesses, which if it did not possess them, it would cease to be. There are other sorts of properties that an object possesses but that do not make the object what it is. Furthermore, essentialism holds that natural things do have essences. *
In the existentialist view, the problem of being must take precedence over that knowledge in philosophical investigations. Being cannot be made a subject of objective enquiry; it is revealed to individual by reflection on his own unique concrete existence in time and



References: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/ http://essentialism.askdefine.com/ <http://gme.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0101540-0>. Catatan: Ini adalah salah satu tugas reading saya ketika belajar di Colardo State University http://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_essentialism.html http://essentialism.askdefine.com/philosophy http://www.philosophybasics.com/movements_existentialism.html http://www.philosophy-index.com/kierkegaard/works.php http://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_essentialism.html#Top

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