Existential

As stated in Merriam-Webster Dictionary, existential can be defined as “relating to or affirming existence.” When using this specific definition, existence can be referring to anything in the world such as planes, food, streets, and anything else that is in a state of reality. These are all things that exist; however, when analyzing the use of the word in this piece we can see that the author, Stanley Diamond, is only concerned with human existence. This focuses on the philosophical theory of existentialism which emphasizes the free will of an individual person to determine how they will dictate their own existence. In The Beautiful and the Ugly are One Thing, the Sublime Another: A Reflection on Culture, Diamond states that “the existentializing of our human possibilities… represents a struggle that is constant and renewed in each generation… as [individuals] strive to become cultured human beings.” In this quote, the author is revealing that this existence that humans are bestowed with comes with a battle to stay relevant. For every new generation comes new music, new fashion trends, new movies, and all things that create the culture of the present society. Earlier in Diamond’s reflection, he states that there is a blurred line between what is considered beautiful and ugly since cultures are so different and ever-changing. Therefore, we can refer back to the definition of existentialism and come to the conclusion that if people are actually given this free will then they must face the struggle to become more cultured by differentiating between what they consider beautiful and ugly for themselves.