The Nature of the Present Crisis

Abstract

From what was said in the introduction, it becomes clear that philosophical systems or approaches may be seen as attempts at dealing with the problem of the authenticity of human existence. This means that they are attempts at ordering and arranging the world in such a way that the particular problems and conflicts of a specific historical epoch are “solved” and that so man’s needs and interests are met. When man is freed from his wants and conflicts, as he experiences them in a particular historical situation, he is deemed to lead an authentic existence, i.e., an existence in accordance with his true nature. The question now arises what man’s true nature really is, and whether his needs can ever be met to the full in reality. There remains the suspicion that man’s true nature is established only theoretically, in accordance with a specific approach of a particular philosopher, and that the full gratification of man’s needs also occurs in theory only, and thus in the imagination of this particular philosopher.