Existentialism

2 Pages 495 Words

“Existentialism and Humanism”
Sarte


Existentialism is defined in the dictionary as a philosophical theory emphasizing the existence of the individual as a free and self-determining agent. John Paul Sarte says there are two types of existentialists, there are the Christians and the existential atheists, obviously their difference is that one group believes in God and the other does not. Sarte says that they do have something in common and that is simply the fact that they believe that existence comes before essence. Sarte classified himself as an existential atheist and thus believes there is no God. Sarte argues that there is at least one being which exists before it can be defined by any conception of it and that being is man. He believes in the human reality and that man simply is, and he is what he wills. He makes his first principle of existentialism the statement that: Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself.
I would say that Sarte’s idea of freedom comes in his philosophy of existentialism. Sarte would say that as humans we are constantly trying to define ourselves, and through this process we are free to choose what we will in order to reach that definition. So, I would say that Sarte’s ideas of freedom lies in our ability as humans to make choices. Sarte believes this to be very important. Toward the end of his essay he says that man chooses himself, but that in choosing for himself he chooses for all men. He says then that our responsibility is much greater than supposed, for it concerns mankind as a whole.
My own definition of freedom is somewhat similar to that of Sarte’s. I defined freedom as an idea that differs from individual to individual. That one individual may believe freedom is the ability to make choices in the things they do, and another individual may believe that freedom is having no limits and no restrictions. Either way both individuals feel “free” and ...