Who Is The Father Of Existentialism - 1067 Words

Kierkegaard, regarded by many as the father of existentialism, came up with three stages a person must go through in order to become one’s true self. Like Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic stages, one must be successful at each stage in order to go on to the next one, if one does not, the likelihood of that person be well-rounded is highly unlikely. In order to find one’s true self and live to their full potential one must go through three stages which include; aesthetics, ethics and religious stages. Aesthetics deals with beauty and art, whereas ethics coincides with following the rules and helping the fellow man and religion is fairly self- explanatory, and includes making a personal relationship with God. Aesthetic closely ties in with the beginning of both Augustine and Kierkegaard’s early life; wild and rampant with limited cares about others. Augustine’s early life included a concubine that would bear him a son in later years, while Kierkegaardâ €™s early life included sickness and terrible loneliness – both of which are not the proudest moments of a man’s life but nevertheless increase their wisdom. Aesthetics stage combats boredom as the goal is to live life by the seat of one’s pants. Limited planning and doing things for the fun of it make the soul happy. To pursue beauty above all limits the ability to form deep relationships as well as an empathic heart that cares for others. Consequently, the second stage of finding one’s true self is ethics, which at many timesShow MoreRelatedEssay on Existentialism in Night1014 Words   |  5 PagesExistentialism in Night In his essay â€Å"Existentialism†, Jean Paul Sartre discusses the main beliefs of existentialism. Perhaps the most important belief of existentialism is that there is no human nature, and there is no God. 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