The roots of Existentialism go back to the ancient Greeks, but the father of Existentialism is usually considered to be Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). Kierkegaard was a Danish theologian/philosopher. His writings were not translated into English until the early nineteen hundreds. Kierkegaard's view was a revolt against Hegelian thought which systematized everything.

Existentialism was born in Europe. Strangely enough, it did not make it to America until after the Depression. This is due to Americans “fun loving” nature. After World War II, Existentialism really began to emerge. In my opinion, the 60's gave rise to a wave of existentialism in the United States but that wave began to subside in the 70's. It should be noted, however, that Existentialism is an infant as a philosophy, and its

application to education is spotty and not well developed. Christian Education has been influenced, somewhat, by this philosophy.

Unpredictability: man is the captain of his own ship and the master of his own fate. It cannot be predicted how he will work out his existence.

Choice is critical to man. Each man or woman has his or her own “built-in” philosophy. It lives with him or her and dies with him or her. This responsibility to choose produces a dread. What if you choose wrong? But man must be free to choose. Human choice is the ultimate court of judgment both in morals and in practical judgments as it rules between competing choices of moral action. When all the sham of Reason and Nature and Science have been stripped away, there stand you and I, our choosing selves naked before a cosmos of alternatives, trying to plot our human way through it and thus to give substance and essence to the Idea of Man. The final responsibility of deciding is given to man himself.

The learner is central because existentialist philosophy is individual centered. The system is a return to the individual pupil. The pupil should be allowed complete freedom to seek his or her own essence. No matter how democratic the environment may be, it still tends to be rigged to encourage the learner in one particular direction. Thus, the pupil must be free. The Existentialist rejects the Experimentalist viewpoint of social action because this, of all actions, is quite conforming. However, the existentialist does want the learner to come into contact with many different "climates" and make his or her own choices. In choosing, the learner awakens to his or her own existence, develops his or her own essence, and plays the role of a true man or woman. The environment of the school should be as completely unspecified as it is possible to make it. An endless continuum of possible human experiences is what is relevant. The student is encouraged by the teacher to achieve the goals he or she has set for himself or herself. This encouragement needs to be given by the teacher in such a way as not to infringe upon the student's freedom of choice.

Reality and the created order, to the Existentialist, are “open-ended.” Essence is being manufactured daily by man. Not only does man develop his essence daily, but also so does the world. Both are open-ended. If an Existentialist believes in God, he believes that God's world is open-ended because God is still busy creating.

Purpose: as far as man is concerned.

Open-ended Universe and Man: the results are not all in on man or his universe. They are open and yet to be decided. Man will do the deciding.

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