Existentialism: Flipped Learning Activity

Hello Beautiful People,

 I am Riddhi Bhatt. And  today I am coming with something interesting .You know...what is  our blog today's? This Sunday Reading Task is about  Existentialism: Flipped Learning and assigned by Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Head of the English Department of Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Bhavnagar University (MKBU). 

    As a part of the syllabus, students of English department are learning the paper called The Twentieth Century Literature : From World War 2 to the End of the Century (paper-107). In this flipped learning blog, Existentialism is taken as a topic to learn. In order to understand the an Absurd play, "Waiting for Godot" better, it is necessary to know what is existentialism and how this philosophical movement leads one to think as an individual's, let’s start friends. But before we start I want to give short information about what kind of things we see here…

    Whenever I am writing this blog and also these things , I have one question in my mind that why this Sunday's reading task and thinking activity are all given by our professor. Answer is that this is not compulsory for every student but necessary for all literature students who studied in masters. This all task gives us a new sense to see how the world is actually. Ok friends now we talk about our today’s topic…Here are ten short videos to learn the fundamental aspects of Existentialism. It is a very negative and gloomy theory.

"The really difficult part of teaching is not organizing and presenting the content, but rather doing something that inspires students to focus on that content to become engaged. "

-Robert Lampson

The process of flipped learning is very interesting and amazing. At first place a teacher shares his blog link to students, which leads them to another website and there they find another blog about the flipped learning topic and there students watch video resources and read the material. The task of the students is to ask questions from the videos they've just watched. So it’s quite interesting.

Please visit the blog link below for detailed videos and reading resources of existentialism.

https://blog.dilipbarad.com/2016/09/existentialism-video-resources.html

EXISTENIALISM : 

  

Like “rationalism” and “empiricism,” “existentialism” is a term that belongs to intellectual history. Its definition is thus to some extent one of historical convenience. The term was explicitly adopted as a self-description by Jean-Paul Sartre, and through the wide dissemination of the postwar literary and philosophical output of Sartre and his associates—notably Simone de Beauvoir, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Albert Camus—existentialism became identified with a cultural movement that flourished in Europe in the 1940s and 1950s.

    Among the major philosophers identified as existentialists (many of whom—for instance Camus and Heidegger—repudiated the label) were Karl Jaspers, Martin Heidegger, and Martin Buber in Germany, Jean Wahl and Gabriel Marcel in France, the Spaniards José Ortega y Gasset and Miguel de Unamuno, and the Russians Nikolai Berdyaev and Lev Shestov. The nineteenth century philosophers, Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, came to be seen as precursors of the movement. Existentialism was as much a literary phenomenon as a philosophical one. Sartre’s own ideas were and are better known through his fictional works (such as Nausea and No Exit) than through his more purely philosophical ones (such as Being and Nothingness and Critique of Dialectical Reason), and the postwar years found a very diverse coterie of writers and artists linked under the term: retrospectively, Dostoevsky, Ibsen, and Kafka were conscripted; in Paris there were Jean Genet, André Gide, André Malraux, and the expatriate Samuel Beckett; the Norwegian Knut Hamsun and the Romanian Eugene Ionesco belong to the club; artists such as Alberto Giacometti and even Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky, and Willem de Kooning, and filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard and Ingmar Bergman were understood in existential terms. By the mid 1970s the cultural image of existentialism had become a cliché, parodized in countless books and films by Woody Allen.

    Existentialism is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on the lived experience of the thinking, feeling, acting individual. In the view of the existentialist, the individual's starting point has been called "the existential angst," a sense of dread, disorientation, confusion, or anxiety in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value of human existence. 

“Man is a useless passion. It is meaningless that we live and it is meaningless that we die.”

― Jean-Paul Sartre

✅Summary Of These All Video ✅

Video:1:What is Existentialism:

In this Video there are existentialist philosophers:

• 1. Soren Kierkegaard
• 2.Friedrich Nietzsche 
• 3. Jean Paul Sartre
• 4. Fyodor Dostoevsky
• 5. Martin Heidegger
• 6. Simon De Beauvoir
• 7. Kafka

Also in this video I like that triangle idea of these three sides of Existentialism..

• Freedom,
• Individuality 
• Passion

    Along with it, the idea of philosophical suicide is quite interesting.Also another interesting point is that Albert Camus denied to be an Existentialist. Albert Camus argues that believing in God, you have taken the easy way out. One has to fully understand the absurd and has to fully embrace it. Believing in God is considered philosophical suicide. Existentialism is mainly popular among young people because it touches on subjects which a person in his or her youth might be struggling with. There were other subjects like suicide, anguish, absurdity, passions, emotions, death, freedom, disparage.

Video 2: The Myth of Sisyphus: The Absurd Reasoning (Feeling of the Absurd)

"There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide."(matter of suicide)

-Albert Camus

    In this particular video we see that an absurd reasoning also causes of death is absurdity.What Camus argues regarding suicide is that, when a person find there is no meaning in life, life is not worth living and in this despair he commits suicide.Camus suicide is an individual act. He also said that.

"We are concerned here, at the outset with the relationship between individual thought and 

"Beginning to think is beginning to be undermined."

-Albert Camus

In this video also compare this things with movie STAY. "This divorce between man and this life, the actor and his setting, is properly the feeling of absurdity. All healthy men having thought of their own suicide, it can be seen, without further explanation, that there is a direct connection between this feeling and the longing for death."

“An elegant suicide is the ultimate work of death.”

So when you start thinking you will know life is absurd, meaningless. But after knowing this truth you have these  questions arise in mind that is..…

• "Does its absurdity require one to escape it through hope or suicide?"
• "Does the Absurd dictate death?"

Camus says that In truth there is no necessary common measure between these two judgment so question is that"Is there a logic to the point of death?". And also the conclusion is that "I cannot know unless I pursue, without reckless passion, in the sole light of evidence, the reasoning of which I am here suggesting the source. This is what I call an absurd reasoning."

Video 3: The Myth of Sisyphus: the notion of philosophical suicide:

"Absurd is neither in man not in the world, it can only occur in their presence together - man and the world"

    In this video Camus describes that There can be no absurd outside the human mind. Thus, like everything else, the absurd ends with death."The feeling of the absurd is not, for all that, the notion of the absurd. It lays the foundations for it.If it is admitted that the absurd is the contrary of hope, it is seen that existential thought for Chestov presupposes the absurd but proves it only to dispel it. Such subtlety of thought is a conjuror's emotional trick.

A Total Absence of Hope ≠ Despair

A Continual Rejection ≠ Renunciation

Conscious Dissatisfaction ≠ Immature. Unrest

"To an absurd mind reason is useless and there is nothing beyond reason."

-Albert Camus

And then Kierkegaard said that faith is the solution to the absurd. IN his word “ Faith is the objective uncertainty with the repulsion of the absurd. "Here

is the Camus wants to say that  Existentialism recognizes the Absurdity of life, but instead of embracing or accepting it, It tries to escape from one and in another way from absurdity. This behaviour of escapism from Absurdity is Camus terms as 'Leap.' For Existentialists negation is their God. To be precise, that god is maintained only through the negation of human reason. But, like suicides, gods change with men. There are many ways of leaping, the essential being to leap.

Video 4: Dadaism, Nihilism and Existentialism:

    This video briefly describe  upon the three philosophical concepts named Dadaism, Nihilism and Existentialism. Which were developed either after the First World War or either after the second world war. Let's see..

Dadaism:

  

During the First World War, countless artists, writers and intellectuals who opposed the war sought refuge in Switzerland. Zurich, in particular, was a hub for people in exile, and it was here that Hugo Ball and Emmy Hemmings opened the Cabaret Voltaire on 5 February 1916. The Cabaret was a meeting spot for the more radical avant-garde artists. A cross between a nightclub and an arts center, artists could exhibit their work there among cutting-edge poetry, music, and dance. Hans (Jean) Arp, Tristan Tzara, Marcel Janco and Richard Huelsenbeck were among the original contributors to the Cabaret Voltaire. As the war raged on, their art and performances became increasingly experimental, dissident and anarchic. Together, they protested against the pointlessness and horrors of the war under the battle cry of DADA.

"How can one get rid of everything that smacks of journalism, worms, everything nice and right, blinkered, moralistic, europeanised, enervated?"

By saying dada

"Why can't a tree be called Pluplusch, and Pluplubasch when it has been raining?"

Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain (1917):

Nihilism :

    

Nihilism is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy, expressing negation towards general aspects of life that are widely accepted within humanity as objectively real,such as knowledge, existence, and the meaning of life.Different nihilist positions hold variously that human values are baseless, that life is meaningless, that knowledge is impossible, or that some set of entities do not exist.

Video 5: Existentialism - a gloomy philosophy:

    In this  fifth video Existentialism is often accused of being a gloomy philosophy. So why is it thought of as a gloomy philosophy? Because it brings into discussion subjects like Anxiety, Despair, Absurdity..

LIFE + ANXIETY = ?

    In this reason This video clarifies that being an individual does not mean that one is a narcissist. One can either choose to be a part of the herd and die or one can discover oneself as Nietzsche also said this sentence.

"Become Who You Are"

Video 6: Existentialism and Nihilism: Is it one and the same?:

    In this video, briefly explain why existentialism and nihilism are two distinct movements.Beginning of the video question arise is that Are existentialism and Nihilism the same things ? the answer is that according to Camus that is NO.

✅Kierkegaard :

        “The loss of individuality (leveling).”

✅Nietzsche :

        “What does Nihilism mean? That the highest values devalue themselves.”

✅Herman Hesse :

        “All suicides have the responsibility of fighting against the temptation of suicide.”

“At twenty we rage against the heavens and the filth they hide; then we grow tired of it. The tragic attitude suits only an extended and ridiculous puberty.”

-Ciaran, Emil. A Short History of Decay

In this contrast this attitude Camus said that in ‘Myth of sisyphus’ and ‘The rebel’ to argue “Why rebellion is the only proper response to the absurdity of life?’

Video 7: Let us introduce Existentialism again!:

    This video is about the ideas regarding existentialism that how existentialist thinkers had created some of the greatest works of philosophy and literature.as well as explains most significantly the difference between existentialism and nihilism. Watch it out for more insight into Sartre's famous statement:

"existence precedes essence"

Video 8: Explain like I'm Five: Existentialism and Nietzsche:

    In this video we found how to teach kids this very tough philosophy.Also very concept of Existentialism by making conversation with children and by asking some basic questions about the essence of life.

Video 9: Why I like Existentialism? Eric Dodson

In this video we see that Life is just DNA’s way of trying to propagate itself..blah blah.Here, Eric Dodson talks about why he like the Existentialism? And here he gives some points like

• Two side (combining mind & heart)
• Honesty
• Holism
• Rebellion (Way of thinking)

Our two sides that combining mind and heart.It appeals to my intellect_but it also has a widely evocative mytho-poetics side.He also questioning how absurd life really is? How we fall away from our deeper destinies ? How we self-aeceptively deny our deep freedom?. Understanding life… in terms of all that life is. Holism also includes contexts:

• The universe as a whole
• Life itself

Existentialism still feels positively dangerous.Existentialism teaches that suffering is not our enemy. Existentialism teaches that open my self more and more,”Learning is gift even when pain is your teacher.”

Existentialism helps us feel like..

• A laughing child
• A serious intellectual
• A blossoming flower
• A storm on the horizon

Video 10: Let us sum up: From Essentialism to Existentialism :

Someone puts forth an idea, and then someone else response to it. Sometimes,the response come right away. In other cases, it takes thousands of years.Plato and Aristotle give us idea that..

ESSENCE:

“A certain set of core properties that are necessary or essential for a thing ton be what it is.”

This belief, known as essentialism was the standard view of the universe are all the way up until the 19th century

Existentialism  ≠ Atheism

Absurdity is the search for answers i an answer less world. Also he describe that..

1) Thoughts on video resources:

All videos are explaining the idea of Existentialism very clearly. But in all this video there are many thoughts I like the most.

1) Video:1

    ✔️“God will only be possible after thinking as an individual.”

2) Video:2

    ✔️"There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide."(matter of suicide)

    ✔️“An elegant suicide is the ultimate work of death.”

3) Video:3

    ✔️"There can be no absurd outside the human mind. Thus, like everything else, the absurd ends with             death."

    ✔️"To an absurd mind reason is useless and there is nothing beyond reason."

    ✔️"Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable."

4) Video:4

    ✔️"I don't want words that other people have invented"

    ✔️"The absurd doesn't frighten me, because, from a more elevated point of view, I consider                            everything in life to be absurd."

5) Video:5

    ✔️“Become who you are”

6) Video:6

    ✔️“That the highest values devaluate themselves.”

    ✔️“All suicides have the responsibility of fighting against the temptation of suicide.”

    ✔️“At twenty we rage against the heavens and the filth they hide; then we grow tired of it. The tragic             attitude suits only an extended and ridiculous puberty.”

7) Video:7

    ✔️“human, all too human.”

8) Video:9

9) Video:10

    ✔️“A certain set of core properties that are necessary or essential for a thing ton be what             it is.”

2) Video I liked the most:

✅A video titled, 'teach me like I'm five'. In this short video, two teachers are engaging kids to understand the heavy philosophical term existentialism and Friedrich Nietzsche who was one of the existentialist thinkers. It’s quite interesting that how they easily teaches childrens.(video-8)

✅Video series uploaded by Dasein. There all  handmade sketches and infographics, the explanation was easy to grasp. Also I understand this concept very clearly and easily.

✅A video titled why I like existentialism by Eric Dodson. This video explains why one should be having holistic approach towards existentialism.This choice is rebellious choice. Rebellion against the idea of absurdity, adversity, pain and agony. We live the life and continue to think. This mental activity of thinking itself is a rebellion against all the odds. Denying to think is a philosophical suicide for Albert Camus.

3) Learning Outcome :

    According to flipped learning flipped learning is a “a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter”

    Here I have learnt the topic of existentialism in a very easy way. I learnt that Existentialism and Nihilism are different from one another. Absurdity has much to do with existentialism.Also I know that what is Dadaism and concept of this movement.“Existentialism is a Humanism”,It is believed that Jean Paul Sartre is the pioneer of this philosophical movement, Existentialism.before Sartre, Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger were the pioneers of this movement. Here I am completely understand this.

4) My Questions:

No.	Video no. & Name	Time Duration	My Questions
1	Video:1:What is Existentialism?	00:55	1)Does existentialism (a standard) work in existence (the natural) and the sadistic seed? 2)Would it be contradicting if an existentialist believes in a reality? For example, can an existentialist believe in this statement " Reality isn't always what we think it is but what we think will have a profound effect on it.
2	Video 2: The Myth of Sisyphus: The Absurd Reasoning	00:55 01:30	1)Is the only cause of death absurdity ? 2)”An elegant suicide is the ultimate work of art.”how can we understand this sentence deeper way?
3	Video 3: The Myth of Sisyphus: the notion of philosophical suicide	01:05 04:26	1) According to Camus, give a simple definition of “What is philosophical suicide?” 2) What is the term or concept of leap and leaper?
4	Video 4: Dadaism, Nihilism and Existentialism	-	How did Dadaism influence modern art ?
5	Video 6: Existentialism and Nihilism: Is it one and the same?	-	How is existentialism different from nihilism?
6	Video 7: Let us introduce Existentialism again!	07:42	.Sartre says that, "essence precedes existence." What does he mean by this? Sartre implies that this idea (i.e. "essence precedes existence") is the implicit view on the nature of people in the work of philosophers like Descartes. Why? What does this have to do with their belief in God? How was this sort of view maintained in 18th century philosophy, even though God no longer plays the same role?
7	Video 8: Explain like I'm Five: Existentialism and Nietzsche:	01:48	In this video, there is a reference of Übermensch, In what way is immoralism good for the Übermensch?

THANK YOU...