Existentialism

1. Jean-Paul Sartre &
Existentialism

2. Quel Est Existentialisme?
• In Sartre’s words, “existence precedes
essence”
• Absolute freedom: “We are condemned
to be free”
• Life is essentially meaningless

3. Does this mean there’s no
point to my existence?

4. So if everything’s left up to
me, it doesn’t really matter
what I do, does it?

5. You are still responsible for
your own actions!

6. Let’s Talk About Nothingness!
• “Being and Nothingness” (Freedom and
Responsibility)
– War: “There are no innocent victims”
– Why was I born?

7. Who would Sartre blame for
the Creature’s condition in
Frankenstein? Why? Is this a
valid argument?

8. On a similar note, would an
existentialist agree with
Rousseau’s justification for his
behavior?

9. Is Sartre right?
• Are we entirely
responsible for
ourselves?
• What about nature
vs. nurture?
• Is there any inherent
meaning in life?
• Does our freedom to
choose really induce us
to take responsibility for
ourselves?
• If I know I’m going to
die in the end, why
should I bother to worry
about the effects of my
actions?

11. Bibliography
• Banach, David. “Ethics of Absolute Freedom.” Saint Anselm College.
<http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/sartre.html>.
• Drake, Tom. “Existentialism Shorty Notes.”
<http://www.class.uidaho.edu/engl_258/Lecture%20Notes/existentialis
m%20quick%20and%20dirty.htm>.
• Drake, Tom. “Existentialism.”
<http://www.class.uidaho.edu/engl_258/Lecture%20Notes/existentialis
m.htm>.
• “Existential Ethics.” Lander University.
<http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/sartre.html>.
• Sartre, Jean-Paul. “Being and Nothingness.” The Norton Anthology of
Western Literature. Eds. Sarah Lawall, et al. New York: W. W. Norton
& Co., 2006. 2104-06.
• Sartre, Jean-Paul. “Existentialism Is a Humanism.” Marxists Internet
Archive.
<http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/sartre/works/exist/sartre.ht
m>.