Introduction
The focus of the philosophical trend of existentialism is the question of existence. The absurdity, despair, freedom, alienation, and responsibility became entrenched in the system of theoretical science and the social and moral cultural model emerging in the twentieth century with existentialism (Hayim 14). The supporters of existentialism aimed to search for new methods of realization of human freedom. In addition, ways to eliminate fear and loneliness and appeal to the responsibility of every person living in society, mandating respect for the rights and dignity of the individual. “Existentialism is humanism,” Sartre argued, but it is not the kind of humanism that considers the human being as the highest value, but one where the individual is beyond oneself (Hayim 16). Hence, it is essential to interpret Sartre’s philosophy and analyze various aspects of his point of view.
The Explanation of Philosophy
Sartre considers that human freedom renders them open and constantly imperfect. It is impossible to experience this, and people attempt to close this freedom. God is the figure needed to justify that not everything depends on persons because there is divine predestination, mission, and destiny. God always appears when people want to escape from their freedom and responsibility. The meaning of the title of the article, “Existentialism is Humanism,” is that existentialism, especially atheistic existentialism, teaches humans for the first time that they need not rely on a higher power (Hayim 23). No power generates human beings and would expect anything from them. People should not hope for anything; they need to embrace life into their own hands and accept this tragic freedom with courage.
A person is a way of being in the world in which existence precedes essence. Sartre suggests that human existence precedes essence, while essence precedes existence in the rest of the world. He states that “man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world – and defines himself afterward” (Sartre 28). That is, a person originally just exists, feels alive, and then in the process of life gradually acquires a certain essence. This indicates that people initially exist, meet, and present themselves in the world, and only then are they determined. For the existentialist, man is undefinable because initially, he is nothing.
A human being becomes a person only at a later stage and solely as the creature one makes of oneself. The person never finds his essence definitively; he is constantly changing it, making daily concessions, decisions, and choices. The significant discovery of existentialism is that man is a project; it is something that is constantly being made, and a person is never in a finished state (Hayim 25). In this way, the central idea is that human beings are continually making themselves.
My Example
It is crucial to emphasize that, for Sartre, existence precedes essence, which indicates that nature is not created on a pre-designed standard. At the same time, without denying the limiting conditions of existence, he responds to Spinoza, who argued that people are defined by what surrounds them. Consequently, for Sartre, a problematic situation that negatively affects a person is not definitively hopeless, but when it is considered as such, the situation becomes a real challenge (Hayim 26).
There was an example in my life when I found myself in a difficult situation but was capable, through my actions, of solving it. I received my first unsatisfactory grade in school, and it appeared to me to indicate my negative traits and inability to develop. When I realized this, my classmates got better grades because they worked harder at completing the paper. Then I realized that an excellent grade resulted from hard work and, not by nature, inherent human characteristics. This situation is fully consistent with Sartre’s philosophy that existence precedes essence (Sartre). It is because there is no definite predetermined essence, and the nature of the individual is determined by how the individual creates and constructs one’s own life. Therefore, I started to devote more effort and received positive results in my studies. In other words, now I understand that I affect the evolution of my life.
The Aspects of the Philosopher’s Point of View
It is interesting to note that Sartre responds to criticism and focuses on the words “abandonment,” “anguish,” and “despair”. The philosopher does not use them in a general sense but assigns these words an unusual variation of color. For example, “abandonment” in Sartre’s philosophy means to leave God. Notably, the philosopher does not indicate that God existed with a person for a long time and then decided to abandon him. At the same time, he observes that God does not determine man’s moral choices and does not influence significant decisions (Sartre). I maintain this position of Sartre because I consider that God enabled humanity to live and that people are capable of making moral choices for themselves. Hence, the philosopher emphasizes that there are no clear instructions that an individual should follow to obtain salvation. I completely agree that a person is endowed with the right to choose and is capable of influencing their own life.
Sartre believes that individual has the freedom to choose accordingly; they are responsible for their actions. This is emphasized by the philosopher’s words that “we are left alone without excuse” (Sartre 34). Sartre argues that the person does not choose their parents or place of birth but that human being is influenced and is responsible for their actions, feelings, and emotions. Thus, Sartre refers to the experience of this responsibility as “anguish” and argues that such a state is inevitable. I cannot approve that one will inevitably suffer from a sense of responsibility. Hence, I suggest that a person is capable of analyzing for themselves the consequences of their actions and of refraining from those that might harm them. At the same time, the philosopher indicates that a human being cannot predict the outcome and will inevitably face anguish. It is essential to note the word “despair,” Sartre understands it as an existentialist attitude to those aspects and conditions that one cannot change (Sartre). In this way, the philosopher uses conventional words to describe the specific sensations of the individual.
Conclusion
Hence, existentialists consider a person to be judged not based on potencies but on the ground of the actual actions that this individual performs. People tend to assume that birth defines a human, meaning that at the same time, a person is endowed with some constant essential values that cannot be changed and determine a people’s future. Sartre maintains that atheistic existentialism teaches that even if there is no God, there is at least one being whose existence precedes essence and that being is the human being. In other words, there is nothing beyond the person; thus, this confers the person’s freedom of action and decision. Therefore, the individual can determine his life and be responsible for the consequences of his actions.
Works Cited
Hayim, Gila. Existentialism & Sociology: The Contribution of Jean-Paul Sartre. Routledge, 2017.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. Existentialism Is a Humanism. Yale University Press, 2021.