Existentialism
- “what does existence precedes essence mean”
- “was camus an existentialist”
- “is existentialism depressing”
- “existentialism vs nihilism”
01 · Side by side
Side by side
Comparison sheet
| Aspect | Existentialism | Nihilism |
|---|---|---|
| Premise | No given meaning | No given meaning |
| Conclusion | You're responsible | Nothing is warranted |
| Freedom is | A burden | Irrelevant |
| Has an ethics | Yes | No |
02 · Which one you meant
Which one did you mean?
In shortReaders who land here meaning Existentialism rather than Nihilism are usually searching for phrases like “what does existence precedes essence mean”, “was camus an existentialist”, “is existentialism depressing”.
Nihilism
- “was nietzsche a nihilist”
- “what is nihilism simply”
- “types of nihilism”
- “nihilism vs absurdism”
03 · Which came first
Which came first
In shortNihilism. 1799 — Friedrich Jacobi uses the word in his open letter to Fichte to negatively characterise transcendental idealism - as an accusation, not a self-description. Earlier German uses are on record for Obereit (1787) and Jenisch (1796).
- 1799
Nihilism. Friedrich Jacobi uses the word in his open letter to Fichte to negatively characterise transcendental idealism - as an accusation, not a self-description. Earlier German uses are on record for Obereit (1787) and Jenisch (1796).
- 1943
Existentialism. Gabriel Marcel introduces the term 'existentialism' — and notably applies it to people who had not chosen it.
04 · Read either one