But Wait, there's a Catch...

Like many philosophies, Existentialism came before we knew what we know about genes and the way the brain works.

Let me see if I can tie in a few things around the web site into Existentialism. I already mentioned how it ties into Ernest Becker's The Denial of Death. Let's tie this into Julian Jaynes' theory of consciousness (did not possess an introspective mind-space) very simply--existentialism would not exist unless man became conscious.

Another area of research not available or widely available until the 50s (but seemingly forgotten) is social psychology. Now, here's where we tie in Judith Rich Harris' The Nurture Assumption and Group Socialization Theory.

So, what does all this mean? Well, we are subject more to our biological makeup than the early philosophers every could have understood. The decisions we make are much more subject to genes and our social behavior because we are more social than unto ourselves then we ever thought...even when we are alone, we relate to the group. So, without taking into consideration the effects genes have and group socialization, we cannot properly assess how a philosophical theory applies to us.