Existentialism Is a Humanism, published in France in 1946, is a philosophical treatise written by Jean-Paul Sartre. The work is an extended defense of existentialism, a philosophical movement that emphasizes individual freedoms and personal responsibility in the face of an absurd and incomprehensible world. Sartre argues that life is always a conscious, chosen act in which an individual must freely make decisions in the face of a predetermined death. The consciousness of the concept of death and the recognition of the responsibility of choice make each individual fundamentally free and responsible, despite external social and environmental conditions. Ultimately, Sartre suggests that existence precedes essence, that whatever meaning and purpose any individual chooses to give to his life, is the essence of that life, regardless of the conditions of his birth.
At the beginning of Existentialism Is a Humanism, Sartre established the roots of his philosophical position by refuting some of the most common criticisms against existentialism. He challenges the idea of the agent provocateur, popularly attributed to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in that man is a naturally good and selfless creature, who has been corrupted by society. Sartre argued that man was always a being of freedom, who had both the power and the responsibility to choose how to respond to the external conditions of his life. He asserted that man is not predetermined by earlier causes, such as genetics or predetermined social circumstances, but instead determines his own essence through conscious, chosen action.
Sartre then argued that, due to man's freedom to choose how to live, he faces the paramount importance of responsibility, both in terms of considering the consequences of his choices and in terms of the choices themselves. This lead Sartre to pronounce that “man is condemned to be free” because he must ultimately confront the freedom with which he is endowed, no matter his external societal and environmental conditions. With this freedom comes an inherent responsibility to act in good faith, to be sincere and honest with oneself, and to genuinely recognize the potential implications of any decision.
In the second part of Existentialism Is a Humanism, Sartre expanded the concept of human freedom by calling it “existential freedom”. This concept states that an individual must strive to make choices based on the best of his knowledge, and moreover, should strive to increase his knowledge of himself and of the world, in order to be able to make wiser choices. This falls in line with Sartre's view that existence precedes essence and that any individual, given the freedom to: choose how to live, can create his or her own essence through conscious, chosen action.
Much of Existentialism Is a Humanism is dedicated to explaining the importance of ethics in the realization of freedom. To Sartre, since freedom is the highest value and ethical behavior is further recognition of one’s responsibility to oneself and to others, ethical behavior is thus the highest expression of freedom. Sartre concluded the book by stating that humanism is a moral attitude that seeks to embrace the human condition, accepting it for its moral complexity, and using it as a positive basis for acting in the world.
Existentialism Is a Humanism is an important philosophical treatise in which Jean-Paul Sartre argued for greater freedom and responsibility on the part of all individuals. Sartre outlined the concept of existential freedom, which demands that each individual recognize and use his freedom to act in good faith and create, for himself, his own essence through conscious, chosen action. Furthermore, ethical behavior is considered the highest expression of freedom since it is an acknowledgement of one’s responsibility to oneself and others. Ultimately, Sartre concluded that existentialism is a humanism, because it spoke directly to the individual's sense of freedom, responsibility and autonomy.
