Existentialism of Jean Paul Sartre: The Salient Features

Submitted by Paul Whelmer Alforque to the Thinkers Guild

1. Existence always precedes essence. Existence as an infinite situation [not as a precondition] prevails over the concepts of meanings.

2. Man, first has to exist and defines himself afterwards. The meaning of his existence is only a result produced by his consciousness, consciousness comes after he attained existence.

3. The search for meaning presupposed nothingness. Searching for meaning suggests that there is no meaning at all, it is only through the searching that meaning comes out – there is no innate meaning.

4. The “meaning” being a result of existence and acquired human consciousness. It is the conscious mind that has the capability to create “essence” and not the unconscious.

5. There is no human nature, man made it. There is no god, we made them in the process of our quest for essence.

6. The conscious mind is the sole manufacturer of meanings, interpretations, essence and perceptions.

7. The will to  interpret for himself is the main denominator of one’s capability to fabricate essence.

8. There is neither determinism nor destiny – man is free. Man’s freedom includes the freedom to create his destiny.

9. Man is condemned to be free. Condemned because he did not create himself; existence obtained by competition of billion sperms running towards a fertile egg. Together with his existence is his responsibility for everything he does.

10. It is in man’s existence whereby man is inventing himself.

11. EXISTENTIAL HUMANISM. There is no other universe except the human universe – the universe of human subjectivity.

12. HUMANISM in the sense that there is  no legislator but himself.