IA Note on Existenzphilosophie and
Existentialism

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The mood of the actualities of modern life which precedes all specific thinking was
shown by Nietzsche: »I am describing what will come to pass, what is now inevitable,
the rise of nihilism.«339 Since this extremity was overpoweringly real to both Nietzsche
and Kierkegaard, philosophy now takes its direction from them. As the finality of this
conception challenged all original philosophy from the outset, it became possible for
our philosophy once more to apprehend ancient philosophy almost as if it were modern.
The term »philosophy of existence« (Existenzphilosophie) owes its origin to Kierkegaard's
idea of existence. The name could be dispensed with, for what is essential in it is the one
perennial philosophy, seeking form and utterance under the conditions of our time. The
philosophy of existence may be looked upon as the attempt to overcome nihilism.
Either nihilism is seized upon with a bravery that, being bravery, is no longer ni-
hilism; or else an independent philosophy, which has passed through the cleansing
fire of nihilism, is seeking realization and is regaining from the origin of tradition those
ideas by which man truly exists. But such a philosophy cannot end merely with evol-
ving the idea of human existence. It reaches beyond man. It comprehends what in the
first place makes man himself possible. For man is not himself in his freedom without
the power by which he exists. There is no existence without transcendence.340
Now the word »existence« denotes a common element in modern | philosophy
which has led to almost all philosophy, with the exception oflogic and positivism, be-
ing called »philosophy of existence.« In the mind of the public a sort of specter has
thus been created which does not exist.
It seems to me that the origin of the term »existentialism« stems from Sartre. He is
the man whose work has found the most far-reaching echo in the world. Without Sar-
tre the whole matter would presumably have remained confined to narrower circles
and would hardly have been understood as one in idea, seeing that the philosophies
that go by this name today are very different, even radically diverse, in their funda-
mentals. Because Sartre became widely known as a poet through his novels and dra-
mas and gained further recognition more as a philosopher by reason of an important
philosophic work, »L'etre et le Neant,«j all the others must be content with being

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i Being and Nothingness.