8 Characteristics of Agnostic Existentialism

Welcome to a PROFESSOR, in today's lesson we are going to study the characteristics of agnostic existentialism, one of the most important philosophical movements of the 20th century: existentialism.

Thus, existentialism focuses on study the human being and in analyzing the human existence from the concepts of existence, freedom, choice, individual or emotion. And following this conceptual line, agnostic existentialism will affirm that the existence of god is irrelevant in the future of the individual, since it does not solve his problems.

If you want to know more about agnostic existentialism, keep reading this article Class begins!

Before studying the characteristics of agnostic existentialism, it is necessary that you know what existentialism is as a philosophical current, that is why in a PROFESSOR we are going to explain it to you.

This current arises in the S. XIX with authors like Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich NietzscheHowever, it was not until World War II that it established itself as a philosophical current. Thus, the traumatic experiences of the two world wars (human losses, of values, of purchasing power...) make the intellectuals begin to ask questions about the human being, the existence of the being, the meaning of life or about the freedom.

Therefore, this movement arises as a reaction to the rationalism or empiricism and as a result of the historical changes that favored scientific and philosophical research take a new course, focusing his study on the analysis of being, of human knowledge, conceding primacy of the subject over the object and trying to solve problems such as: the absurdity of living, the God-man relationship, life and death or war.

The three existentialist schools

Throughout the 20th century the existentialism divided into three great schools:

1. atheist existentialism: Maintains that God does not exist, since it is established that existence precedes essence. Its top representatives are Jean Paul Sartreand Albert Camus.
2. Agnostic existentialism: He affirms that the debate on the existence of God is irrelevant, since this question does not solve the problems of the individual.
3. Christian existentialism: He confirms the existence of God and establishes that he is the creator of all that exists. Its most prominent representatives are Gabriel Marcel or Miguel de Unamuno.

Finally, we are going to study the two main representatives of agnostic existentialism

Karl Jaspers (1883-1969)

German psychiatrist and philosopher belonging to the existentialist school. Among his philosophical works are: Philosophy (1932), Of the truth, Philosophy is for anyone and Philosophy and Existence (1938).

In all of them he deals the next topics:

• The significance: That which is beyond space-time and which is linked to the free will of the individual, since the transcendence is when the person is able to analyze and confront his unlimited freedom = live the true existence.
• individual freedom as the true experience of the individual and the authentic being.
• The analysis of meaning of being and existence.
• He reflects on the impact of politics, economics and religion in the freedom and experience of the individual.
• He criticizes religious dogmas, especially Christianity. He does not outright deny the existence of a divine entity, but establishes that we cannot know if it really exists.

Maurice Merleau Ponty, 1906-1961

Ponty's philosophical production stands out for his interest in the theologyto, especially highlighting two works that mark an evolution in his thinking:

• Christianity and Resentment (1935): In this work, he defends the original christianity and his values ​​(justice, love and charity).
• Faith and Good Faith (1947): There is a break with Christianity and he delves into agnostic existentialism: He criticizes the Church and defines it as a reactionary institution, he stresses the importance of the incarnation of the human person (he denies the divine incarnation) and affirms that there is a god of things, but not a god of things. men.