existential

Existential refers to existence and, in philosophy, to a broad family of views known as existentialism. Existentialism emphasizes human freedom, personal responsibility, and the concrete, situated nature of being, focusing on lived experience rather than abstract systems. The movement arose from 19th- and 20th-century thought, with figures such as Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche offering early critiques of tradition, and Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre developing its central themes in the 20th century. Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and others expanded its reach into literature, ethics, and culture.

Core ideas include the primacy of individual existence over predefined essences, the creation of meaning through choice, and the importance of authenticity—living in accordance with self-defined values rather than social expectations. Freedom carries responsibility for one’s actions, often accompanied by a sense of existential angst. The concept of bad faith describes self-deception about one’s freedom. Existential phenomenology links being with the ways things reveal themselves to conscious experience.

Influence and scope extend across philosophy, literature, theater, theology, and psychotherapy. Existential psychology and existential psychotherapy address meaning, choice, and responsibility in clinical contexts. In broader discourse, existential is used to describe concerns with meaning, mortality, and the human condition. The term existential risk, while related in language, is a distinct field focused on threats that could threaten humanity’s survival.