Freedom of and responsibility for choice - YES. The old inheritance of a nihilistic attitude toward an unconscious and therefore uncaring Universe has been dispelled by astrophysicists and cosmologists who recognize the Universe to be “The Great Mind”, functioning on exchange of information.
Thank you for this thorough and yet succinct explanation of the history of Existentialism. It is accurate, and it brings us to confront a new Existentialism that sheds its builtin nihilism in favor of a more realistic, scientific/philosophical view of the conscious Universe and our role in it.
We are no longer bound to flounder in a dark and meaningless Universe. We now can no longer deny we are one with the great meaning and purpose far beyond our current ability to adequately appreciate.