Existentialism is a major twentieth century continental European philosophical movement. The label was inspired by the tendency of some of the writers like Kierkegaard, Heidegger , Sartre and Nietzsche to use the term "existence" for a kind of being or life unique, in their view, to human beings. Only in the case of human beings is the conduct of their life an "issue" for them; only they can "stand out" - exstare, the Latin word from which "exist" comes - from their lives and reflect upon them; and only they have the capacity freely to shape their lives. Though Existentialism can appear in…
