Our Time: Existentialism in the Age of Fear

This paper focuses on re-awakening existentialism from its realm of philosophical inactivity over the past few decades. Existentialism is still very much a “committed” philosophy, providing us with an approach to life that gives us courage in the face of tremendous adversity. Indeed, this philosophy enables us to focus on what matters most in our own lives by freeing ourselves from the burdens of fear and unrealistic expectations given to us by those who seek to control our futures. Such a conception of modern existentialism introduces the notion of existential courage: what the modern existentialist must overcome is the fear that results from agents who wish to take away human liberty.