On Being and Becoming audiobook cover - An Existentialist Approach to Life

On Being and Becoming

An Existentialist Approach to Life

Jennifer Anna Gosetti-Ferencei

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Philosophy

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On Being and Becoming
Core Principles+
Being vs. Becoming+
Existential Suffering+
Authentic Individuality+
The Role of Others+
Self and the World+
Ecological Authenticity+
Practical Application+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
According to the text, what is the fundamental starting point of existentialist philosophy?
  • A. The human individual's first-person, subjective experience.
  • B. Abstract theorizing about the origins of the universe.
  • C. The pursuit of a fixed, unchanging human nature.
  • D. The reliance on prepackaged religious and philosophical doctrines.
Question 2 of 8
How does existentialism reverse the traditional Platonic view of 'being' and 'becoming'?
  • A. It claims that 'being' is the only true reality and 'becoming' is merely an illusion of human perception.
  • B. It argues that humans are in a constant state of 'becoming' with no fixed identity, rather than having a permanent 'being.'
  • C. It suggests that humans must achieve a state of permanent 'being' in order to find true happiness.
  • D. It believes both concepts are completely irrelevant to the experience of human freedom and responsibility.
Question 3 of 8
How does existentialism's approach to emotional pain and suffering differ from that of Stoicism?
  • A. Existentialism views suffering as an illusion to be ignored, while Stoicism sees it as a necessary punishment.
  • B. Existentialism believes suffering is unnecessary for freedom, while Stoicism believes it is the primary path to self-discovery.
  • C. Existentialism encourages embracing emotions like dread to promote an authentic life, whereas Stoicism advocates for self-control to overcome them.
  • D. Existentialism relies on the validation of others to cure suffering, while Stoicism relies on the 'crowd' mentality.
Question 4 of 8
Why do existentialist writers consider the 'crowd' a danger to an authentic life?
  • A. It physically restricts people's ability to move and make choices in modern society.
  • B. It forces individuals to take on too much responsibility for the well-being of others.
  • C. It causes people to become overly focused on their own unique personalities and ego.
  • D. It encourages unthinking imitation and habit, blinding people to their individual freedom and possibilities.
Question 5 of 8
According to Sartre, what is the primary problem with reducing someone to a mere object, such as only seeing a post office clerk as a 'letter-stamper'?
  • A. It denies them their freedom and fails to recognize them as dynamic subjects with their own desires.
  • B. It makes societal and economic transactions less efficient and more time-consuming.
  • C. It creates a mathematical mode of thinking that ultimately leads to environmental destruction.
  • D. It forces the person doing the objectifying to take on the existential dread of the other person.
Question 6 of 8
How does the existentialist view of the relationship between the self and the world challenge Descartes' philosophy?
  • A. Existentialists believe that only the material world exists and human consciousness is merely an illusion.
  • B. Existentialists argue that the self and the world are an integrated whole, rather than being completely separated.
  • C. Existentialists argue that the world is completely absurd and therefore unknowable to human consciousness.
  • D. Existentialists claim that the self is trapped inside the mind and can never truly interact with worldly objects.
Question 7 of 8
What solution does Heidegger propose to counteract the environmental exploitation caused by a purely scientific and mathematical mode of thinking?
  • A. Developing more advanced technologies to efficiently manage and reverse climate change.
  • B. Abandoning modern society completely to live isolated in the wilderness.
  • C. Adopting a 'poetic stance' toward nature to appreciate its intrinsic beauty and awe-inspiring qualities.
  • D. Creating stricter mathematical models to better calculate the depletion of natural resources.
Question 8 of 8
What is the purpose of Nietzsche's 'eternal return' thought experiment?
  • A. To test the authenticity of your decisions by asking if you would be content to relive your exact life over and over for eternity.
  • B. To prove philosophically that time is cyclical and historical events will always repeat themselves.
  • C. To demonstrate that human consciousness survives physical death and reincarnates into new forms.
  • D. To help individuals suppress their feelings of existential dread by imagining a predictable future.

On Being and Becoming — Full Chapter Overview

On Being and Becoming Summary & Overview

On Being and Becoming (2021) is simultaneously an introduction to the philosophy of existentialism and a guide to the good life. Drawing on a broad range of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century existentialist writers, the book unpacks the main themes and insights from the movement and explains what that means for how you should live your life.

Who Should Listen to On Being and Becoming?

  • Philosophically minded people looking for an introduction to existentialism’s key ideas 
  • Unhappy souls who dwell on the difficulties of existence
  • Anyone who wants to know how to live a happier and more authentic life

About the Author: Jennifer Anna Gosetti-Ferencei

Jennifer Anna Gosetti-Ferencei is a philosophy professor at Johns Hopkins University. Her other works include The Life of Imagination, Exotic Spaces in German Modernism, and The Ecstatic Quotidian. She’s also the author of a book of poetry, After the Palace Burns, which won the Paris Review Prize.

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