Previous
Depersonalization
For Frankl, the essence of human existence is “responsibleness.” We are human because we have responsibilities to others, and more importantly, to life itself. Life demands that each of us find a way to make our time on Earth meaningful.
Essence of human existence Quotes in Man’s Search for Meaning
The Man’s Search for Meaning quotes below are all either spoken by Essence of human existence or refer to Essence of human existence. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Experiences in a Concentration Camp Quotes
It is this spiritual freedom—which cannot be taken away—that makes life meaningful and purposeful.
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This freedom we all have, to find what is meaningful and focus on it, is the only thing in Frankl’s philosophy that can pull us from the mire of despair and pain we all live in— to different degrees, as most of us have never experienced a concentration camp— toward spiritual realization. There are two aspects of this realization, as it must bring us toward that which is both “meaningful” and “purposeful.” It is essential to note, however, that Frankl does not posit this spiritual freedom as an escape from suffering; in fact, according to Frankl, suffering is one of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperior
But there is also a purpose in life which is almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man’s attitude to his existence, an existence restricted by external forces.
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Frankl begins to shape what he sees as the meaning of human suffering. Banned from both the “active life” of creative work and the “passive life” of enjoying other people’s creations, those like the Auschwitz inmates who are forced into an existence consisting almost entirely of suffering can still find meaning without access to either creation or enjoyment. The rest of the passage is a bit more confusing: what does Frankl mean when he says an existence of pure suffering “admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man’s attitude to his existence, an Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae volu
Life ultimately means taking responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Frankl again brings up the central component of his essence of human existence, “responsibleness.” He asserts that we are human, and we exist, because of our responsibility to life itself, and therefore to the people and things that make it up. Until we find that thing to which we are most responsible— whether our suffering, or a meaningful act of creative work, or the object of our love— we cannot be said, as far as Frankl is concerned, to truly be alive. And until we do commit ourselves to this thing we will find ourselves immersed in existential frustration, or Dolorem et qua
Logotherapy: The Meaning of Life Quotes
One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
As Frankl has explained in earlier quotations, his book is not about finding the “abstract meaning of life”— the general answer to that perennial question, “What is the meaning of life?” Instead, Frankl pushes us always toward our “specific vocation or mission in life,” which consists of our “concrete assignments.” It is never quite clear who assigns each of us with these tasks, but given Frankl’s spiritual predilections the taskmaster is most likely God. Because each person’s task is unique, each life must also be unique and so cannot be repeated. This provides a basis for the tragic optimism central Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident exped
Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he should recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Frankl posits meaning-finding in this passage as an active and a creative process, rather than a passive task. In this spiritual framework, life calls on each of us to recognize our meaning and all of its specific tasks. Idly asking of life “what’s the point?” will leave us with little result; but, if we take on the responsibility of making our lives meaningful, we find ourselves closer to the realization of our own meaning. This claim seems confusing in contrast to Frankl’s assertion that all people have unique and specific meanings to discover in their lives, for if people are Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam offici
Logotherapy: The Essence of Existence Quotes
The emphasis on responsibleness is reflected in the categorical imperative of logotherapy, which is: “Live as if you were living already for the second time and if you had acted as wrongly the first time as you are about to act now!”
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant used the term “categorical imperative” to refer to moral choices that the ethical person must make— a universal law of how to behave regardless of the situation. Frankl seems to use this term to refer to the main thing that all adherents of logotherapy must do in order to lead meaningful lives: to live as if you have already lived and made mistakes once. It is our mortality that gives us both all of the pain, guilt, and despair that come with life and the chance to make it meaningful despite this traumatic triad. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Ap
Logotherapy: Critique of Pan-Determinism Quotes
Freedom, however, is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness.
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Recognizing that people long deeply for freedom, even claiming to treasure freedom above all else, Frankl reminds us that freedom is not in itself a path to a meaningful existence. In order to make meaning out of our freedom, Frankl suggests, we must be responsible to the specific and unique tasks laid out for each of us. This fits strangely with Frankl’s earlier assertion that humans do have free will, and we might say that Frankl’s conception of free will is a limited one. Though we are free to choose, we can only have a meaningful existence if we choose Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. O
Get the entire Man’s Search for Meaning LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Essence of human existence Term Timeline in Man’s Search for Meaning
The timeline below shows where the term Essence of human existence appears in Man’s Search for Meaning. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Logotherapy in a Nutshell: The Meaning of Life
...Man is responsible to life to discover this meaning. In logotherapy, “responsibleness” is the “ essence of human existence .”
(full context)
