Philosophy: Existentialism: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre Worksheet

Question 1

In your own words, explain what existentialism studies. Include at least two themes that are important to existentialist thinkers.

Accepted Answer

Existentialism studies human existence from the perspective of individual choice, freedom, meaning, and responsibility. Important themes include anxiety, authenticity, alienation, moral responsibility, and the search for meaning in a world that may not provide ready-made answers.

Question 2

Kierkegaard is often called the father of existentialism. Explain why his focus on the individual was important.

Accepted Answer

Kierkegaard focused on the individual because he believed that truth is not only an abstract idea but something a person must live. He argued that each person must make personal choices, face anxiety, and take responsibility for their relationship to meaning, faith, and existence.

Question 3

Kierkegaard wrote about a leap of faith. Explain what this means and why it cannot be proven by reason alone.

Accepted Answer

A leap of faith means choosing to commit to a belief or way of life even when complete rational proof is not available. For Kierkegaard, faith involves personal risk because the individual must decide and act without absolute certainty.

Question 4

Kierkegaard described anxiety as the dizziness of freedom. Explain what this phrase suggests about human choice.

Accepted Answer

The phrase suggests that freedom can feel overwhelming because people recognize that they have many possible choices and must take responsibility for them. Anxiety is not just fear of one specific thing, but the uneasy feeling that comes from knowing one can choose and could choose wrongly.

Question 5

Nietzsche famously wrote that God is dead. Explain what this statement means in a philosophical sense.

Accepted Answer

In a philosophical sense, Nietzsche's statement means that traditional religious and moral foundations had lost much of their authority in modern European culture. He was not simply making a claim about a being, but describing a cultural crisis in which people no longer knew where their values should come from.

Question 6

Explain Nietzsche's idea of creating values. Why did he think this was important?

Accepted Answer

Nietzsche believed that when old value systems lose their power, people must take responsibility for creating new values rather than simply following inherited beliefs. He thought this was important because human beings need meaning, strength, and purpose, but should not rely on values they no longer honestly believe.

Question 7

Nietzsche criticized herd mentality. Describe what herd mentality means and give one example from modern life.

Accepted Answer

Herd mentality means following the beliefs, behaviors, or values of a group without thinking critically or choosing for oneself. A modern example is accepting an opinion only because it is popular on social media, without asking whether it is true or ethical.

Question 8

Sartre said that existence precedes essence. Explain this idea in your own words.

Accepted Answer

Sartre's idea means that human beings are not born with a fixed purpose or nature that determines who they must become. Instead, people exist first and then define themselves through their choices, actions, and commitments.

Question 9

According to Sartre, why does freedom create responsibility?

Accepted Answer

For Sartre, freedom creates responsibility because people cannot avoid choosing how to act. Even refusing to choose is still a choice, so each person is responsible for what they become and for the values their actions express.

Question 10

Sartre used the term bad faith. Explain what bad faith means and create a brief example.

Accepted Answer

Bad faith means lying to oneself in order to avoid the responsibility of freedom. For example, a student might say, I had no choice but to cheat because everyone else was doing it, when the student actually did have the freedom to choose honestly.

Question 11

Compare Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Sartre by identifying one major concern of each thinker.

Accepted Answer

Kierkegaard was concerned with faith, individual choice, and personal commitment before God. Nietzsche was concerned with the collapse of traditional values and the need to create new ones. Sartre was concerned with radical freedom, responsibility, and the way people define themselves through action.

Question 12

Choose one existentialist idea from this worksheet and apply it to a real-life decision a high school student might face. Explain the connection clearly.

Accepted Answer

One possible answer is that Sartre's idea of freedom and responsibility applies to choosing whether to speak up when someone is treated unfairly. A student may feel pressure to stay silent, but Sartre would say the student is still responsible for the choice and for the kind of person that choice helps create.

Philosophy: Existentialism: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre

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