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23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 5. Existence-Essence

[natures as either malleable or fixed in character]

10 ideas
Essence must be known before we discuss existence [Descartes]
For Kant, essence is mental and a mere idea, and existence is the senses and mere appearance [Kant, by Feuerbach]
Reason is just abstractions, so our essence needs a subjective 'leap of faith' [Kierkegaard, by Scruton]
Over huge periods of time human character would change endlessly [Nietzsche]
It is absurd to think you can change your own essence, like a garment [Nietzsche]
Being what it is (essentia) must be conceived in terms of Being (existence) [Heidegger]
'Existence precedes essence' means we have no pre-existing self, but create it through existence [Sartre, by Le Poidevin]
Existence before essence (or begin with the subjective) [Sartre]
Existentialism may transcend our nature, unlike eudaimonism [Graham]
Our 'existence' is how we create ourselves, unconstrained by any prior 'essence' [Aho]