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Existentialism: A World of Existing Existentialism is a theory of individual meaning. It asks each man and woman to ponder the reason for existing. As a philosophy, it is not a philosophy. There is no real system in Existentialism. It is a single individual, questioning the meaning of his/her existence. If you call it a philosophy, it is a philosophy of crisis. It is a feature of the crisis and not a shield against the crisis. 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