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If one decides to perform an action in advance, and then performs that action, was it not a self-determined action? He was determined to slap the person in advance, but it was still a choice he made given many alternative options. Furthermore, is free will simply the freedom of action, or is it also the freedom of self-determination? I would argue that free will gives us the freedom to form ourselves into the people we wish to be, not just to perform the actions we wish to perform. He may have shaped himself into the type person that would slap an opponent instead of debating. Since this sub is about existentialist philosophy, you will probably find more people here agree with the idea of shaping ourselves into the people we wish to be.

>(or as Steven Pinker puts its a ghost inside your body pushing all the buttons)

Ah, another reference to a "pop intellectual" who isn't an expert in philosophy or free will. I've seen Sam Harris, Robert Salpolski, and now Steven Pinker as the defenders of hard determinism. It tends to be neuroscientists and psychologists in the popular science community. Why hasn't anyone mentioned a professional philosopher that shares their deterministic views; one who can provide a solid philosophical foundation for such beliefs? It may be because the majority of professional philosophers either believe free will is compatible with a deterministic universe, or that there is free will and it is incompatible with determinism.

>Free will: compatibilism 59.1%; libertarianism 13.7%; no free will 12.2%; other 14.9%.

If you're interested in learning more about the justifications and challenges for free will, I recommend reading Elbow Room by Daniel Dennet and Four Views on Free Will. I can guarantee you'll learn more about free will from those two books than you will by listening to Steven Pinker.

Existentialism isn't just one single "belief" or "school" or whatever. But it's concerned with the questions of what meaning, if any, our lives have or can have. That is the core concern--these "existential" questions (pertaining to our existence). When it comes to so-called Existentialist writers, I think that Nietzsche is my favorite (though when he was around "Existentialism" had not yet been named). Yeah, Nietzsche is my favorite by far. Kierkegaard is also considered an early "Existentialist" and he comes up with some great insights especially into psychology but I just can't stomach his "leap of faith" idea. Perhaps the most famous Existentialist (and who actually claimed to be an Existentialist) was Jean-Paul Sartre. I disagree with him on human nature though. His idea was that human nature is not determined at all, that we are absolutely free to therefore determine our own nature as we live, make choices, etc. I think that modern science bears out the falsity of his "existence precedes essence" view here.

Anyway, I would recommend The Basic Writings of Existentialism, found here . It contains various excerpts from some of the major Existentialists. It's what got me introduced to it.

As for your friend, I just have to say that a lot of us "philosophy types" are pretentious douchebags--or at least come across that way sometimes. I find myself slipping into that same thing from time to time. I must say that in philosophy, Existentialism is considered "weak philosophy." Especially in America and England most modern philosophers don't even bother with Existentialism at all. So your friend doesn't have that much to boast about, really. So he has some ideas on meaning in life? Great. And? It's not that great of an intellectual feat, really, to understand some of this stuff. He's just puffing himself up. That being said, Existentialism is what got me interested in philosophy to begin with. Anyhow, good luck.

i agree with many of your thoughts

the idea that happiness/success is the "unintended side effect" of pursuit has stuck with me ever since i read it

i think your definition of happiness is more correct as a definition as pleasure, and interestingly, if you look at the neurotransmitters involved (seratonin for happiness, dopamine for pleasure) it seems to fit this distinction

This is a good image to explain what I'm trying to talk about

Another thing to add to your readings, if you haven't come across it yet, is Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Hi there! There's a lot of different types of philosophy, so it really depends on what you're interested in.

There's two big camps - analytic and continental - but they really boil down to logic and classical reasoning vs. more existential material. Analytic philosophy would try to prove the existence of god, while continental philosophy would talk about how the existence (or non-existence!) of god would impact your life.

All that being said, I would recommend an intro to philosophy book like this. A lot of classic philosophical writers tend to be hard to read and convoluted. I'd recommend getting an intro to phil book and finding what interests you, then going from there.

Readers are always best. Gordon Marino's Basic Writings of Existentialism is the best. Barrett's Irrational Man is the best commentary. Reading the both together will get you well into the woods of existentialism.

Nothing really, you can go right to it. But it's not light reading and might not resolve your concerns, especially if Man's Search for Meaning didn't immediately help. What Frankl offers in that book is basically a patronus. Not that Harry Potter isn't a way of life but it's not a rigorous framework either. It's a charm in your pocket, if you can find one that's strong enough to withstand scrutiny and repeated use.

Because of your other questions The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. It gets to the heart of the question.

r/existentialsupport

HEY! EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT!
I've gone through bouts of similar thought processes and usually it's pretty difficult to dig yourself. There's no one thing that anything can say to brighten the situation or your outlook. Still, this book helped me find a bit of focus and perspective (http://www.amazon.com/The-Defining-Decade-Twenties-Matter-And/dp/0446561754), though it has nothing to do with existentialism.

It can be a bit corny at times, but overall it offers some pretty practical advice.

Just had a look then, the copy in my course-reader is photocopied from an anthology type of thing called "Philosophical Writings (The Beauvoir Series". It's translated by a woman called Marybeth Timmermann and after a quick google I can confirm that you can get it on Amazon pretty easily.

Hope this helps!

Yep! "Letters From A Stoic" - https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Penguin-Classics-Lucius-Annaeus/dp/0140442103/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=letters+from+a+stoic&qid=1558561107&s=gateway&sr=8-3


Here is a fantastic audio recording of it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a5jDHyXXDw&list=PLzKrfPkpj5om1kEBj7c80cwjJ1JS78FL7

Camus was both an essay writer and a fiction author, so reading a piece of each is a good idea. The Stranger would be his best work of fiction to read, and "The Myth of Sisyphus" his best essay. It really lays out his ideas regarding the absurd. It usually appears in a book called The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. Both books, especially the first, are in most libraries.
I haven't read Kierkegaard, but I've heard that Either/Or is both a simple read and puts his ideas on display. If you'd prefer to read it online, here's a link that I found.

The Nietzsche Reader and The Cambridge Companion to Nietzsche are both great resources to dive into!

https://www.amazon.com/Jay-JA0027-Gift-of-Nothing/dp/B019HDSCPU

Amazon has you covered with free shipping!

there isn't a set definition rather a set of philosophers that have some existentialist theme in their writing. Check out Barrett but then do yourself a favor and check out the complete works themselves.

"Man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world—and defines himself afterwards"

—Jean-Paul Sartre

From Existentialism and Humanism (later published in English as Existentialism is a Humanism)

Whatever you do, do NOT read existentialist books.

All that will do is reinforce and rationalize your own depressed thinking. Existentialism is rationalized depression.

Try something with actually proven CBT psychological theory. Like "Overcoming Depression" by Paul Gilbert.

Or if you want something a bit more philosophical, try "The Denial of Death." In a way, it also is existentialist and reinforces the depressive premise, but it also describes the way out, through transcending the individual self. That book is what turned me from a depressive libertarian to a happy ethnonationalist.