Viktor Frankl

3 Commentsby   |  12.02.13  |  Second Blog Post

I really like Viktor Frankl and his ideas. I have been reading Man’s Search for Meaning for the paper and he has become one of my favorite thinkers that I have encountered in this class. His idea of logotherapy shows his redemptive spirit. His ideas about how people must find meaning in their lives offers hope. He had first-hand experience of the depths of human experience, spending three years in the Nazi Concentration Camps but his ability to be able to focus on the hope of seeing his wife again along with the opportunity to rewrite his manuscript, gave him meaning  and by his own admission saved his life. That hope that shines through in his own person story is what makes it so clear that although he is classified among the existentialists, who often fit in the fall, he is a man who looked to help people in their search for meaning and to help them redeem themselves from themselves and their situations. I especially like the quote that we talked about today about how we ask life questions but how life also asks us a question. That question is, “What are you going to do about the situation you are in?”. He says that the only way to answer it is to find meaning to go on and live responsibly. That is the kind of redemptive thoughts that flowed from him throughout his career and life.

Comment

3 Comments

  1. Jessica Weeden
    11:30 pm, 12.02.13

    Matt, I couldn’t agree with you more. Your classification of Frankl in Redemption seems to be the best fit for his ideas. Frankl may not have understood the absurdity of the world around him but he certainly understood first hand the power of answering to life’s question. When asked “What are you going to do about the situation you are in?” we have the opportunity to climb out of our fall into despair. This is indeed redeeming.

  2. Kami Earle
    10:30 am, 12.04.13

    I think it’s interesting how you related Frankl with redemption rather than the fall. It’s awesome to see how he found redemption and hope, even in the bleakest circumstances. Rather than focusing on the fact that his world was crumbling around him, he pushed on and found deeper meaning where most would only find despair.

  3. Nicole Nelson
    11:47 pm, 12.04.13

    Matt,

    I really like how you see the bright side of Frankl. Obviously he had a very tough life, and it would be very easy to associate his ideas with the Fall, since he experienced so much of the evil of man throughout his life. I think it is great that not only was he able to come out of his circumstances and make something of himself, but that people like you are able to recognize the depth of his thoughts and feelings. Great post!

Add a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.