Meaning of Life: According According to Karl Jaspers and Gabriel Gabriel Marcel Marcel Presented by Group 5 Leader: Abilay, Mark Gilbert
Biuag, Vin !d"ard !scueta, Alyssa Mae Miranda, Jas#ine $onisa, %iana &lor'ida, (ebecca )antos, Maria Anna Victoria *reta, $icole
KARL JASPERS
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Born +ebruary -, .//- in &ldenburg, Ger#any Ger#an P0ilosop0er, one of t0e #ost i#portant Existentialist in Ger#any "0o approac0ed t0e sub1ect fro# #an2s direct concern "it0 0is o"n e3istence4 e "as t0e first Ger#an to address t0e 6uestion of guilt: of Ger#ans, of 0u#anity i#plicated by t0e cruelty of t0e olocaust4 e concluded t0at caution #ust be e3ercised in assigning collecti'e responsibility since t0is notion 0as no sense fro# eit0er t0e 1udicial, #oral or, #etap0ysical point of 'ie"4 7n 0is later "ork, as a reaction to disruptions of $ai rule in Ger#any and 8orld 8ar 77, 0e searc0ed for a ne" unity of t0inking t0at 0e called philosophy4 After being trained in and practicing psyc0iatry, Jaspers turned to p0ilosop0ical in6uiry and atte#pted to disco'er an inno'ati'e philosophical system 4 e "as often 'ie"ed as a major exponent of e3istentialis# in Ger#any, t0oug0 0e did not accept t0is label4 Jaspers "as t0e oldest of t0e t0ree c0ildren of Karl Wilhelm Jaspers and Henriette Tantzen4 is ancestors on bot0 sides "ere peasants, #erc0ants, and pastors "0o 0ad li'ed in nort0ern Ger#any for generations4 is fat0er, a la"yer, "as a 0ig0 constable of t0e district and e'entually a director of a bank4 %uring #ost of t0e $ai period, Jaspers, "0ose "ife "as Je"is0 and "0o refused to #ake any concessions to t0e $ai aut0orities, "as pre'ented fro# teac0ing4 7n .9/ 0e accepted a proessorship in p0ilosop0y at Basel, )"iterland4 Jasper!s Philosophy
is p0ilosop0y places t0e person!s temporal existence in t0e face of t0e transcendent "od, an a#sol$te imperati%e 4 ;ranscendence relates to us t0roug0 limit&sit$ations4 7n t0e face of sickness, une#ploy#ent, guilt or deat0, "e are at t0e end of our line4 At t0e li#it, one co#es to grief and beco#e a"are of t0e p0eno#enon of one2s e3istence4 &nce in'ol'e on a li#it
&ne possibility is to guide a person to t0e li#its of "0at scientific t0inking can do and t0en let 0i#=0er confront t0e darkness stretc0ing out fro# t0ere4
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A$thentic Existence ;o li'e an aut0entic e3istence al"ays re6uires a leap o aith 4 Aut0entic !3istence is )reedom and "od4 +reedo# alone opens t0e door to h$manity!s #ein': "0at 0e decides to be rat0er t0an being "0at circu#stances c0oose to #ake 0i#4 7n freedo# t0e person beco#es a"are of God as ne'er before4 +reedo# re'eals itself as a gift fro# so#e"0ere beyond itself4 +reedo# "it0out God only leads to a person2s searc0ing for a substitute to God closer to oneself4 *sually, 0e 0i#self tries to be God4 Jaspers asked t0at 0u#an beings be loyal to t0eir o"n fait0s "it0out i#pugning t0e fait0 of ot0ers4 7f openness of co##unication is to preser'e, t0en "e #ust beco#e concerned "it0 t0e 0istorically different "it0out beco#ing untrue to our o"n 0istoricity4
"a#riel *arcel • •
*arcel!s Philosophy P0ilosop0y 0as t0e tension >essence of dra#a? and t0e harmony >essence of #usic?4 P0ilosop0y2s starting point is a metaphysical disease( ;0e searc0 for a 0o#e in t0e "ilderness, a 0ar#ony in dis0ar#ony, takes place t0roug0 a reflecti'e process t0at Marcel calls secondary relection( *arcel!s Phenomenolo'ical *ethod A( Primary Relection ;0is #et0od looks at t0e "orld or at any ob1ect as a proble#, detac0ed fro# t0e self and frag#ent4 ;0is is t0e foundation of scientiic +no,led'e 4 )ub1ect does not enter into t0e ob1ect in'estigated4 ;0e data of pri#ary reflection lie in t0e p$#lic domain and are e6ually a'ailable to any 6ualified obser'er4
-( Secondary Relection
7t is concrete, indi'idual, 0euristic and open4 ;0is reflection is concerned not "it0 ob1ect but "it0 presences4 7t recaptures t0e unity of original e3perience4 7t does not go against t0e date of pri#ary reflection but goes beyond it by refusing to accept t0e data of pri#ary reflection as inal4
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;0is reflection is t0e area of t0e mysterio$s because "e enter into t0e real# of t0e personal4 80at is needed in secondary reflection is an ingat0ering, a recollection, a pulling toget0er of t0e scattered frag#ents of our e3perience4 ;0e 6uestion t0at pro'ed unans"erable on t0e 0u#an le'el turns into an appeal4 Beyond one2s e3perience, beyond t0e circle of fello" 0u#an being, one turns to t0e Absolute Thou, t0e unob1ectifiable Transcendent Tho$4 80en a person lo'es and e3periences t0e ine'itable deficiencies of h$man lo%e , 0e or s0e sees t0e gli#pse of an absolute I-Thou relations0ip bet"een t0e totality of one2s being4 ;0us, in t0is sense, p0ilosop0y leads to adoration4
.$estions:
/( 0( 1( 2(
7t is t0e unob1ectifiable transcendent ;0ou4 7t is a #ystery and not a proble#4 A total co##it#ent to t0e ot0er "0ic0 in'ol'es intersub1ecti'ity of fait0, 0ope and lo'e4 e "as a +renc0 p0ilosop0er, play"rig0t, #usic critic, and leading @0ristian e3tentialist4
3&4 Marcel2s p0eno#enological #et0ods4 5&6( +or Marcel, p0ilosop0y 0as essence4 7&/84 Aut0entic e3istence is "0at to Jasper2s4
Tr$e or )alse( //( 7<;0ou relations0ip in Gabriel Marcel is an e3tentialis# analysis4 /0( Marcel "as born on %ece#ber , .//94 /1( Mystery of being is a "ell
Ans,ers: /( 0( 1( 2(
Absolute t0ou Life 7<;0ou relations0ip Gabriel Marcel
3&4( Pri#ary (eflection
)econdary (eflection 5&6( tension
ar#ony 7&/8( freedo#
God //&08( ;rue
