Ethical stage According to Kierkegaard, the second stage in the growth toward full personal freedom. At this stage, the person makes ethical decisions but uses princi- ples developed by others as a guide in making them.
Existentialism The philosophy that examines the meaning in life and stresses the freedom that humans have to choose their own destiny. Like romanticism, exis- tentialism stresses subjective experience and the unique- ness of each individual.
General will According to Rousseau, the innate ten- dency to live harmoniously with one’s fellow humans.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (1749–1832) Believed that life is characterized by choices between opposing forces and that much about humans is forever beyond scientific understanding.