TIE CONCEPT OF AUTHENTIC EXISTENCE IN KARL JASPERS: A CRITIQUE

ABSTRACT Prior to the advent of existentialism there was the problem of overemphasis on science and technology. The outcome of this was the relegation of the discussion of human existence and dignity to the background. These issues lingered to the nineteenth century when Jaspers was born. To tackle the problems, Jaspers offered the philosophy of authentic existence. He argued that to help man attain authentic existence, philosophy should become practical by making man in his lived experience its central focus. In other words, authentic existence required interaction and communication with other human beings since no one attains authentic existence in isolation. Contrary to Jaspers who believes that authentic existence is possible, this study employs the method of philosophical analysis to argue that human life implies making free choices and decisions in the society and that this renders the concept of authentic existence impracticable. This is the case because to achieve a harmonious society, individuals are denied some degree of freedom as a result of some stipulated laws in the society in which they live. The study concludes therefore that since we are living in a society governed by laws, authentic existence remains impracticable.