## TL;DR

Existentialism (19th-20th centuries) asserts that 'existence precedes essence' — humans are born without predetermined purpose and must create their own meaning through choices and actions. Key thinkers: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus. Emphasizes individual freedom, responsibility, and the anxiety of authentic existence.

## Core Explanation

Kierkegaard: 'leap of faith,' anxiety as condition of freedom. Nietzsche: 'God is dead,' will to power, Übermensch. Sartre: 'man is condemned to be free' — radical responsibility. 'Bad faith': self-deception about one's freedom. Camus: The Myth of Sisyphus — life is absurd (meaningless), but we must imagine Sisyphus happy. 'The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart.'

## Further Reading

- [Existentialism Is a Humanism (Jean-Paul Sartre, 1946)](https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300115468/existentialism-is-a-humanism/)