Existentialism is the philosophy that focuses on the individuality of existence and the problems that arise with said existence. It emphasizes on individual existence, freedom and choice.
The author T.Z. Lavine proposes six themes in existentialism. According to him, the first theme is 'existence precedes essence'. Man is a conscious subject rather than a thing to be predicted or manipulated. He exists as a conscious being and not in accordance with any definition, generalization or system. He gains his essence only after he has his existence. An existentialist says that I am nothing else but my own conscious existence.
The second theme of existentialism is anxiety or the sense of anguish. In other words, it is a fear or dread of nothingness of human existence. Kierkegaard claims that anguish is thee underlying all pervasive universal condition of human existence.
The third themes is absurdity. According to Granted, I am my own existence but this existence is absurd. Why now not then? There's no answer for my existence. Human life itself is an absurd contingent fact.
The fourth theme is nothingness or void. If no essences define me, then, as a existentialist, I reject all of thee philosophies, sciences, political theories and religions that fail to reflect my existence and attempt to impose a specific existentialist structure upon me and my world, then there is nothing that structures my world. I'm my own existence but my existence is nothingness.
The fifth themes of it is death i.e, nothingness in the form of death. It is my final nothingness. When I'm aware of it, I'm filled with anxiety and fear. Death is the reality. An unaware person tries to live as if death is not actual, he tries to escape its reality. Death is total nonexistence. It's as absurd as birth. It's nothing but wiping out the existence as conscious being.
The sixth themes is alienation or estrangement. Apart from my own conscious being, all else is otherness from which I'm estranged. We are hemmed in by a world of things which are opaque to us and which we can't understand. We are estranged from our own society, norms, concepts, laws, theories, technologies, etc. We don't feel we are part of our own institutions and we can't understand how they are working. We feel just alienated. Alienation arises the enmity and dominates the relationship of love.
Existentialists view alienation differently. Alienation brings man to his freedom and tries to achieve infinite spirit from finite human spirit.
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