BEING, MYSTERY AND FIDELITY: THE EXISTENTIAL PERSONALISM OF GABRIEL MARCEL IN A DISINCARNATE AGE

Emmanuel Egbe Ukata

Department of Philosophy, St Augustine’s Institute of Philosophy, Makurdi, Nigeria

Abstract

This article explores the existential personalism of Gabriel Marcel, highlighting his central philosophical themes of being, mystery, incarnation, availability (disponibilité), fidelity, and hope. In contrast to the atheistic existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, which often concludes in despair, Marcel advances a theistic and relational philosophy rooted in presence, participation, and metaphysical depth. Marcel’s distinction between “being” and “having” underlines the ethical and ontological divergence between objectifying, commodified modes of existence and the relational, incarnate experience of human life. Through the lens of mystery – distinguished from mere problems- Marcel affirms the sanctity and depth of lived realities like love, suffering, and death. His emphasis on the embodied self as a locus of presence offers a critique of the disincarnate tendencies of modernity, especially within a technologically driven culture. Fidelity and hope emerge in Marcel’s work not as sentimental ideals, but as existential and metaphysical commitments that bind the self to the other and to transcendent meaning. Disponibilité, or availability, expresses the art of being truly present to another, resisting commodification and fostering genuine communion. By engaging with related thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Buber, Levinas, Merleau-Ponty, and Ricoeur, the paper situates Marcel within a broader philosophical tradition. Ultimately, it argues that Marcel’s thought offers a vital corrective to contemporary forms of alienation and disconnection, illuminating a path toward a more humane, relational, and spiritually grounded understanding of existence.

Keywords: Gabriel Marcel, Existential Personalism, Being, Mystery, Incarnation, Availability Fidelity,