Existentialism in the Face of Mass Shootings: The Balance Between Free Will and Human Life
Free will equips humans with the right to act however they choose. Existentialism is a philosophical discipline that encourages humans to use this free will to affect their own development in a meaningful way. Although the United States has previously been lauded for its promotion of independence and self-determination, many are beginning to question why one person’s freedom to bear arms should outweigh another individual’s right to live. In Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein’s 2006 text, Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, the concept of existentialism is introduced amidst a series of jokes, but it is important to note the serious implications of free will. While existentialism grants us the right to make our own decisions, those choices do not always steer us in the right direction. The role of existentialism is to provide a mechanism to help us make …show more content…
Just as public health advocates made a choice that thousands of people should be spared from cholera centuries ago through safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, we need to make a decision about gun violence. Hundreds of lives are being lost regularly to mass shootings and we are no longer shocked by the latest breaking news alert about the next armed shooter. In the same way that the discovery of the germ theory helped prevent the spread of cholera, we, too, can prevent these mass shootings from occurring, but we first must be open to finding solutions (Gonzalez, Tomas). Existentialism guides us to understand the issue before making choices that have an impact. We must be prepared and recognize our power as a highly developed and educated nation to devise methods to promote a peaceful coexistence. Unless we choose to take action, we must accept responsibility for these strikingly prevalent instances of mass
Free will equips humans with the right to act however they choose. Existentialism is a philosophical discipline that encourages humans to use this free will to affect their own development in a meaningful way. Although the United States has previously been lauded for its promotion of independence and self-determination, many are beginning to question why one person’s freedom to bear arms should outweigh another individual’s right to live. In Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein’s 2006 text, Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar, the concept of existentialism is introduced amidst a series of jokes, but it is important to note the serious implications of free will. While existentialism grants us the right to make our own decisions, those choices do not always steer us in the right direction. The role of existentialism is to provide a mechanism to help us make …show more content…
Just as public health advocates made a choice that thousands of people should be spared from cholera centuries ago through safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, we need to make a decision about gun violence. Hundreds of lives are being lost regularly to mass shootings and we are no longer shocked by the latest breaking news alert about the next armed shooter. In the same way that the discovery of the germ theory helped prevent the spread of cholera, we, too, can prevent these mass shootings from occurring, but we first must be open to finding solutions (Gonzalez, Tomas). Existentialism guides us to understand the issue before making choices that have an impact. We must be prepared and recognize our power as a highly developed and educated nation to devise methods to promote a peaceful coexistence. Unless we choose to take action, we must accept responsibility for these strikingly prevalent instances of mass