European History Identifications

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Identifications

1. Friedrich Nietzsche – (1844-199); German philosopher; challenged the belief in progress and the general faith in the rational human mind; believed that Western civilization had lost its creativity and decayed into mediocrity; condemned political democracy and greater social equality
2. Jean Paul Sartre – (1905-1980); French existentialist; believed that humans simply exist and did not believe in God, reason, and progress
3. existentialism – philosophy that basically said God did not exist and human existence as unexplainable; came of age in France during the years immediately followed World War II; terrible conditions of the war reinforced the existential view of life
4. Albert Schweitzer – (1875-1965); theologian who wrote Quest of the Historical Jesus; argued that Christ while on earth was a completely natural man whose teachings had been only temporary rules to prepare himself and his disciples for the end of the world
5. Soren Kierkegaard - (1813-1855); Danish religious philosopher; ideas were extremely influential, rejected formalistic religious and denounced the worldliness of the Danish Lutheran church; eventually resolved his person anguish over his imperfect nature by making a total religious commitment to a remote and majestic God
6. Karl Barth – (1886-1968); Swish Protestant theologian; similar ideas to Kierkegaard; his influential writings sought to re-create the religious intensity of the reformation; his basic thought of humans was that they are imperfect, sinful creatures, whose reason and will are hopelessly flawed
7. Gabriel Marcel – (1887-1973); French existential Christian thinker; found in the Catholic church and answer to what he called the postwar “broken world”; Catholicism provided the hope, humanity, honesty, and piety for which he hungered
8. Jacques Maritain – (1882-1973); countryman; w/ Marcel, denounced anti-Semitism and supported closer ties with non-Catholics...