Existentialism
Existence precedes essence. I make myself through my choices.
What it claims
Existentialism holds that human beings have no predetermined essence. Each person defines what they are through their own choices and projects. Sartre (1946) summed this up in the formula “existence precedes essence.” It follows that human beings are condemned to be free and bear responsibility for the whole of their being.
Nearby positions
Goes together with
Key thinkers
Søren Kierkegaard · Martin Heidegger · Jean-Paul Sartre · Simone de Beauvoir · Karl Jaspers