Phenomenology and existentialism are intertwined in modern philosophy, both concerned with human experience and perceptions of the world. Existentialism focuses on human existence, while phenomenology looks at how experiences shape one’s opinion of the world. Both philosophies overlap in the importance of assigning meaning to one’s life and experiencing that meaning.
Although philosophers have often made the point, phenomenology and existentialism are virtually inseparable in modern philosophy. Existentialism is basically the study of human existence as applied to the individual. This branch of philosophy examines how each person instills meaning into their lives, despite the many obstacles naturally placed in their path by the world as it is. Phenomenology is the study of human consciousness, or how each person experiences the world around them. Many philosophers today agree that phenomenology and existentialism overlap in many areas because both are concerned with human experience and perceptions of the world.
Most of the time, existentialism focuses on the existence of human beings, not their essence. This philosophy does not focus on the soul or on intangible factors, such as God and spiritual life. These factors are sometimes taken into consideration, but only as part of a person’s personal philosophy, not as generally accepted truth. In existentialism nothing is objective; all experiences are subjective, with each person assigning a different meaning to their life. Existentialism states that people need to give their lives meaning to help them rise above the unfavorable features of the world at large.
The study of phenomenology also looks at existence, but focuses more on how different experiences shape one’s opinion of the world at large. Philosophers who ascribe to this school of thought usually look at phenomena, or things, as they appear in every single human experience. In other words, something that appears to be a strange phenomenon or happening to one person may be perfectly normal to another. For example, a shadow in a photograph may be experienced as a ghost or supernatural figure by one person, while another person experiences the same phenomenon as a case of overexposed film.
Where phenomenology and existentialism overlap is through experience. Humans use the phenomena they experience to imbue their lives with meaning, which drives them to keep functioning and moving forward. Each person experiences phenomena differently, which means that every instance of human existence is different. This provides the world with many different types of people. This diversity is necessary to keep both phenomenology and existentialism alive. If all people experienced and perceived things in the same way, none of these philosophies would exist.
The driving force of both phenomenology and existentialism is realization. Humans experience things the way they do because they need to feel a sense of purpose. These two philosophies clash because that fulfillment depends on assigning meaning to one’s life and then experiencing that meaning.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
