Existentialism: creating meaning
Existentialists start from the human situation: we exist first, and must then decide who we will be.
Existence precedes essence
Jean-Paul Sartre argued that, unlike a tool made for a purpose, human beings have no pre-set nature or purpose. We exist first and define ourselves through our choices. This means we are 'condemned to be free': we cannot avoid choosing, and even refusing to choose is a choice. With that freedom comes full responsibility for what we make of ourselves.
Bad faith and authenticity
Sartre called it bad faith when people pretend they have no choice, hiding behind roles, habits, or circumstances: 'I had to; it's my job.' Authenticity means owning one's freedom and choices honestly. Simone de Beauvoir extended these ideas, arguing that social expectations, such as those imposed on women, can limit freedom, and that real freedom requires the freedom of others too.
Kierkegaard and the leap
Earlier, Søren Kierkegaard stressed that the most important truths are lived, not just known. He described stages of life: the aesthetic, centred on pleasure; the ethical, centred on duty and commitment; and the religious, reached by a personal leap of faith. For Kierkegaard, anxiety is the dizziness of freedom, the feeling that comes with facing real choices.
Flashcard
Humans exist first and then define themselves
Check your understanding
An employee says, 'I can't refuse to falsify these reports; it's just my job.' Sartre would most likely call this: