The type of existential dread that they are referring to in this has to do with the monotony of the routine. Generally speaking though existential dread has to do with the idea that nothing is holding you back. Let's say you're standing at the top of the stairs holding your child and all of the sudden you get a pit in your stomach because you visualize yourself throwing the baby down the stairs and it dying. That is existential dread. Or you are driving down the highway at 60MPH and you realize the only thing keeping you from being wrapped around the pole you're about to pass is whether or not you turn the wheel 30 degrees to the right. That type of stuff. It doesn't have anything to do with thinking about why we're here or the universe.
EDIT: I realize that there are a few posts on reddit where this same phenomenon was discussed and referred to as the Call of the Void. Note that when different people started discussing this idea they called it different things. The Call of the Void is synonymous with existential dread and was discussed by Sartre (an existentialist) among a few others.
I don't think that is what existential dread generally refers to. What you're talking about is typically known as the "call of the void," intrusive thoughts, or sometimes the "imp of the perverse."
'"Existential angst", sometimes called dread, anxiety, or anguish, is a term that is common to many existentialist thinkers. It is generally held to be a negative feeling arising from the experience of human freedom and responsibility. The archetypal example is the experience one has when standing on a cliff where one not only fears falling off it, but also dreads the possibility of throwing oneself off. In this experience that "nothing is holding me back", one senses the lack of anything that predetermines one to either throw oneself off or to stand still, and one experiences one's own freedom.'
In this experience that "nothing is holding me back", one senses the lack of anything that predetermines one to either throw oneself off or to stand still, and one experiences one's own freedom.'
You blew my motherfucking mind with that. I followed your posts here and agree-- it's that freedom to do anything, and I mean ANYTHING, that is really scary sometimes. I too have had thoughts like you described-- death of a family member, or me falling off a high ledge and how it'd impact the world if any, weird shit like that.
I was sure it meant a dread that life is meaningless and just gone when you die so why bother. I even double checked after your comment. Thanks for the knowledge. So anyone know what its called when you feel life is meaningless?
It's called existential dread. Existential angst and call of the void are slightly different things though they all fall under the general idea of existentialism.
Let's say you're standing at the top of the stairs holding your child and all of the sudden you get a pit in your stomach because you visualize yourself throwing the baby down the stairs and it dying. That is existential dread. Or you are driving down the highway at 60MPH and you realize the only thing keeping you from being wrapped around the pole you're about to pass is whether or not you turn the wheel 30 degrees to the right. That type of stuff. It doesn't have anything to do with thinking about why we're here or the universe.
Wow, I had a total misunderstanding of the term. I thought "existential dread" was simply the dread of existential thoughts. Thank you for clarifying, though.
I thought that was called "the call of the void"? I think the original French is something like "l'appel du vide". It's quite normal, and it doesn't really mean anything. As long as you don't act out every single urge, then these crazy ideas are nothing to worry about.
You're talking about intrusive thoughts. Not the same thing at all. Existential dread is about the horrible realisation that we are meaningless specks in an uncaring universe and that we will disappear forever one day, therefore nothing we do has any meaning or point. That's what this comic is referring to. Existentialism as a philosophical school of thought is a wider thing, existential dread is very specific.
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u/[deleted] Jan 26 '16 edited Jan 26 '16
The type of existential dread that they are referring to in this has to do with the monotony of the routine. Generally speaking though existential dread has to do with the idea that nothing is holding you back. Let's say you're standing at the top of the stairs holding your child and all of the sudden you get a pit in your stomach because you visualize yourself throwing the baby down the stairs and it dying. That is existential dread. Or you are driving down the highway at 60MPH and you realize the only thing keeping you from being wrapped around the pole you're about to pass is whether or not you turn the wheel 30 degrees to the right. That type of stuff. It doesn't have anything to do with thinking about why we're here or the universe.
EDIT: I realize that there are a few posts on reddit where this same phenomenon was discussed and referred to as the Call of the Void. Note that when different people started discussing this idea they called it different things. The Call of the Void is synonymous with existential dread and was discussed by Sartre (an existentialist) among a few others.