Existenz is an on-line biannual academic journal

Academic journal

An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...

 covering research in philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

, religion

Religion

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

, politics

Politics

Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...

, and the arts

The arts

The arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...

. It was established in 2005 and is the official journal of the Karl Jaspers Society of North America

Karl Jaspers Society of North America

The Karl Jaspers Society of North America is a philosophy organization founded on December 28, 1980 through the joint efforts of George B. Pepper , Edith Ehrlich, and the late Leonard H. Ehrlich for promoting the study of the philosophy of Karl Jaspers...

. Its title, Existenz, derives from an essential feature of the philosophy of Karl Jaspers

Karl Jaspers

Karl Theodor Jaspers was a German psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry and philosophy. After being trained in and practicing psychiatry, Jaspers turned to philosophical inquiry and attempted to discover an innovative philosophical system...

, namely, the notion of mögliche Existenz or "possible self-being" for which Jaspers became famous as one of the world's leading existentialist philosophers

Existentialism

Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...

 in the 20th century.

The proceedings of the Karl Jaspers Society of North America at the annual meetings of the American Philosophical Association

American Philosophical Association

The American Philosophical Association is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarly activity in philosophy, to facilitate the professional work...

 are published in Existenz. The editors-in-chief are Alan M. Olson

Alan M. Olson

Alan M. Olson is a Professor of the Philosophy of Religion at Boston University. He received his degrees from Saint Olaf College , Luther Theological Seminary , Nashotah House, where he studied with Anton Arthur Vogel, and Boston University where he studied with Peter A. Bertocci, Erazim Kohak,...

 (Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

) and Helmut Wautischer

Helmut Wautischer

Helmut Wautischer is a Senior Lecturer in philosophy at Sonoma State University. He received his degrees from Bundeshandelsakademie Klagenfurt and Karl-Franzens University of Graz where he studied with Rudolf Haller and Ernst Topitsch...

 (Sonoma State University

Sonoma State University

Sonoma State University is a public, coeducational business and liberal arts college affiliated with the California State University system. The main campus is located in Rohnert Park, California, United States and lies approximately south of Santa Rosa and north of San Francisco...

).