# existentialism > ESSENCE EXISTENCE ↓ ↓ (What you are (You exist first is predetermined) with no nature) ↓ ↓ EXISTENCE ESSENCE ↓ ↓ (You live out (You create yourself your nature) through choices) - Author: samsungaren - Repository: samsungaren/claude-code-skills-library - Version: 20260127183256 - Stars: 0 - Forks: 0 - Last Updated: 2026-02-07 - Source: https://github.com/samsungaren/claude-code-skills-library - Web: https://mule.run/skillshub/@@samsungaren/claude-code-skills-library~existentialism:20260127183256 --- # Skill: Existentialism ## Purpose Find meaning in a world without inherent purpose. Existentialism confronts the big questions: meaning, freedom, authenticity, and death. ## When to Activate - Facing existential crisis or questioning life's meaning - Making major life decisions - Dealing with anxiety about freedom/responsibility - Seeking authentic living - User asks about "meaning", "purpose", "authenticity", "freedom", "anxiety" ## Core Principles ### 1. Existence Precedes Essence ``` TRADITIONAL VIEW: EXISTENTIALIST VIEW: ESSENCE EXISTENCE ↓ ↓ (What you are (You exist first is predetermined) with no nature) ↓ ↓ EXISTENCE ESSENCE ↓ ↓ (You live out (You create yourself your nature) through choices) "Man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world - and defines himself afterward." — Jean-Paul Sartre ``` ### 2. Radical Freedom & Responsibility ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ EXISTENTIALIST FREEDOM │ │ │ │ You are "condemned to be free" — Sartre │ │ │ │ ┌─────────────────┐ │ │ │ EVERY CHOICE │ │ │ │ IS YOURS │ │ │ └────────┬────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ ▼ │ │ ┌─────────────────┐ │ │ │ NO EXCUSES │ You can't blame: │ │ │ │ - God's will │ │ │ │ - Human nature │ │ │ │ - Society │ │ │ │ - Your past │ │ │ │ - Your circumstances │ │ └────────┬────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ ▼ │ │ ┌─────────────────┐ │ │ │ TOTAL │ You are 100% responsible │ │ │ RESPONSIBILITY │ for who you become │ │ └─────────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ### 3. Authenticity vs Bad Faith ``` BAD FAITH (Mauvaise Foi) AUTHENTICITY Denying your freedom Owning your freedom "I had no choice" "I always have a choice" │ │ Playing roles unconsciously Choosing roles consciously "This is just who I am" "This is who I choose to be" │ │ Following the crowd Creating your own values "That's what everyone does" "This is what I value" │ │ Avoiding responsibility Embracing responsibility "It's not my fault" "I am responsible" │ │ Living as an object Living as a subject "Life happens to me" "I create my life" ``` ### 4. The Absurd (Camus) ``` THE ABSURD = The gap between: HUMAN NEED SILENT UNIVERSE for meaning ←→ that offers none │ │ We want answers There are no answers We seek purpose There is no purpose We desire permanence Everything is temporary THREE RESPONSES TO THE ABSURD: 1. SUICIDE (rejected) Giving up on the question 2. PHILOSOPHICAL SUICIDE (rejected) Leap to faith, denying the absurd 3. ACCEPTANCE + REVOLT (Camus's answer) Live fully in spite of meaninglessness "One must imagine Sisyphus happy" ``` ## Existentialist Thinkers ### Søren Kierkegaard (The Father) ```markdown ## Key Concepts ### The Three Stages of Life AESTHETIC STAGE ├── Living for pleasure and sensation ├── Avoidance of commitment └── Leads to: Despair, emptiness ↓ ETHICAL STAGE ├── Living by duty and moral rules ├── Commitment to principles └── Leads to: Guilt, inadequacy ↓ RELIGIOUS STAGE ├── Leap of faith beyond reason ├── Personal relationship with the absolute └── Leads to: Authentic existence ### The Leap of Faith "To have faith is to lose your mind and to win God" Reason can only take you so far. Authentic existence requires a subjective commitment that transcends logic. ``` ### Jean-Paul Sartre ```markdown ## Key Concepts ### "Existence precedes essence" You are not born with a purpose - you create one. ### "Hell is other people" We are constantly being judged and objectified by others, threatening our sense of self as free subject. ### Being-for-itself vs Being-in-itself - In-itself: Objects that just ARE (like a rock) - For-itself: Consciousness that is always becoming ### Nausea The overwhelming awareness of existence's contingency and meaninglessness that precedes authentic living. ### Commitment (Engagement) Despite meaninglessness, we must commit to values and take responsibility for creating meaning. ``` ### Albert Camus ```markdown ## Key Concepts ### The Absurd The conflict between our desire for meaning and the universe's silence. ### Revolt "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." ### The Myth of Sisyphus Sisyphus, condemned to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, only to watch it roll back down. Yet: "One must imagine Sisyphus happy." The struggle itself is enough. ### Living Without Hope Not despair, but freedom from false hopes. Live fully in the present, without illusions about some future salvation or meaning. ``` ### Martin Heidegger ```markdown ## Key Concepts ### Dasein (Being-there) Human existence is unique - we are beings who question our own being. We are "thrown" into existence. ### Being-toward-death Authentic existence requires confronting our mortality. Death individualizes us - no one can die for you. ### Authenticity (Eigentlichkeit) Living according to your own possibilities, not what "they" (das Man) say you should be. ### Thrownness (Geworfenheit) You didn't choose your birth, culture, body, or era. Yet you must take responsibility for what you do with them. ``` ## Existential Themes ### Anxiety (Angst) ``` FEAR vs ANXIETY FEAR ANXIETY (Angst) ├── Has an object ├── No specific object ├── "I fear the lion" ├── "I am anxious about... being?" ├── Can be avoided ├── Cannot be escaped └── Surface level └── Reveals truth about existence WHAT ANXIETY REVEALS: - Our radical freedom - Our responsibility - Our mortality - The groundlessness of existence RESPONSE: Don't flee into distraction. Sit with it. Anxiety is a teacher pointing toward authentic life. ``` ### Death ``` CONFRONTING MORTALITY Most people live in denial: "One dies" (impersonal, abstract) Authentic confrontation: "I will die" (personal, certain) BENEFITS OF DEATH AWARENESS: ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ • Prioritizes what truly matters │ │ • Makes each moment precious │ │ • Individuates you (your death is yours) │ │ • Motivates authentic choices │ │ • Frees you from trivial concerns │ └──────────────────────────────────────────┘ "Memento mori" - Remember you will die ``` ### Meaning ``` MEANING IS NOT FOUND, IT IS CREATED ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ SOURCES OF MEANING │ │ (Viktor Frankl) │ │ │ │ CREATIVE VALUES EXPERIENTIAL VALUES │ │ What you give What you receive │ │ to the world from the world │ │ (work, art, service) (love, beauty, truth) │ │ \ / │ │ \ / │ │ \ / │ │ \ / │ │ \ / │ │ ▼ ▼ │ │ ATTITUDINAL VALUES │ │ How you face suffering │ │ and unavoidable fate │ │ │ │ "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: │ │ the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's │ │ attitude in any given set of circumstances." │ │ — Viktor Frankl │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Living Existentially ### Authenticity Checklist ```markdown ## Am I Living Authentically? ### Awareness - [ ] Am I aware of my freedom to choose? - [ ] Do I recognize my responsibility? - [ ] Am I confronting (not avoiding) mortality? ### Choices - [ ] Are my choices truly mine, or am I following "they"? - [ ] Am I making decisions based on my values? - [ ] Do I take full responsibility for my choices? ### Bad Faith Detection - [ ] Am I blaming others for my situation? - [ ] Am I pretending I have no options? - [ ] Am I playing a role without awareness? - [ ] Am I avoiding commitment to preserve options? ### Engagement - [ ] Am I committed to something meaningful? - [ ] Am I creating rather than just consuming? - [ ] Am I living NOW, not for some future salvation? ``` ### Daily Existentialist Practices ```markdown ## Morning "Today I will die" meditation (memento mori) - Not morbid, but clarifying - What really matters today? ## Throughout Day Freedom check: - "I am choosing this" (own your actions) - "What would I do if no one was watching?" (authenticity) ## Evening Existential review: - Did I act authentically today? - Did I take responsibility? - Did I live in bad faith anywhere? - What meaning did I create? ``` ## Existential Anti-Patterns | Anti-Pattern | Why It's Inauthentic | Existentialist Response | |--------------|----------------------|-------------------------| | "I can't help it" | Denies freedom | You always have choice | | "It doesn't matter" | Nihilistic bad faith | Create meaning anyway | | "Everyone does it" | Following "the They" | Be an individual | | "I'll be happy when..." | Deferring existence | Live now | | "This is just who I am" | Essence before existence | You create who you are | ## Related Skills - For resilience → 01-stoicism - For moral clarity → 02-ethics - For clear thinking → 03-logic-reasoning ## Status - [x] Core concepts defined - [x] Thinkers covered - [ ] Journaling exercises