Between Being and Nothingness: The Evolution of Existentialist Thought

Author(s)	Dr. Shyaonti Talwar
Country	India
Abstract	This paper undertakes a comprehensive survey of existentialist philosophy, tracing its evolution from Hegel’s dialectical movement of “Being” to “Becoming” to Heidegger’s ontological exploration of Dasein as temporal existence. It further examines the phenomenological emphasis on subjective experience as articulated by Husserl and its existential extensions in the works of Sartre, Camus, Tillich, and Heller. Central concepts such as “being-in-itself” (l’être-en-soi) and “being-for-itself” (l’être-pour-soi) are analyzed to demonstrate how existentialism foregrounds individual freedom, responsibility, and the struggle with absurdity. The paper also explores Christian existentialists such as Paul Tillich alongside atheistic thinkers like Sartre and Camus, highlighting their differing responses to alienation, the absurd, and transcendence. Drawing from philosophical writings as well as literary expressions in the works of Camus, Sartre, and Hemingway, the chapter positions existentialism as both a philosophy of human predicament and a mode of literary imagination.
Keywords	Existentialism; Hegel; Heidegger; Dasein; Phenomenology; Sartre; Camus; Tillich; Freedom; Alienation; Absurdity; Authenticity; Being-in-itself; Being-for-itself
Field	Sociology > Linguistic / Literature
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 1, January-February 2024
Published On	2024-01-04
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i01.55389

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