Before The Existentialists began recording their philosophies, several writers had already explored the absurdity of life and the inherent difficulties of free will. John Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost, Goethe’s Mephisto in Faust, and Dostoevsky’s collection of troubled anti-heroes are the literary embodiments of free will. Milton's Satan is almost admirable for his unwillingness to serve in Heaven and accepting his resulting role. Faust is an archetype; he is the scientist willing to trade his soul for knowledge of absolute truths. Both of these characters represent the existential ideal: they accept their fates, however absurd, in return for a form of freedom.

These writers suggest some existential ideals, but predate the label. In the case of Dostoevsky, it can be debated whether or not he was among The Existentialists. Regardless, he is the author of the definitive Christian existentialist poem, The Grand Inquisitor. This one poem explains the difficulties of faith and freedom better than Nietzsche or Kierkegaard ever did.

Individuals influential to existentialism:

• Dostoevsky
• Goethe
• Hegel
• Marx
• Milton
• Pascal

Do not use this site as a study guide. The incomplete nature of this website might result in misunderstanding the profiled individuals. The pages are sometimes posted unedited or appear in outline form. These documents contain excerpts from the works of others. Read their books.

NOTE: Citations are not in MLA or APA format to prevent “borrowing” from The Existential Primer website. Included passages are in the format Work; Author, p. Page, with full citations at the end of each page.