Radical Freedom

Sartre on Human Freedom

The French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre wrote:

“Existence precedes essence”

(Sartre, Existentialism Is A Humanism)

In 1945, Sartre gave a public lecture aimed at clarifying the core tenets of a philosophical movement called Existentialism. Sartre claimed that the defining idea of Existentialism is to be found in a reversal of traditional ways of thinking.

Traditionally, most philosophers believed that everything is defined by its nature or essence. Aristotle was famous for thinking that something’s purpose is determined by its nature. For example, a knife has an essence or definition from which we can determine that its purpose is to cut.

Sartre rejected the idea that human beings are like knives. We do not have a predetermined essence that gives our life a purpose. We are thrown into existence undefined and undetermined. It is up to us to create what we are through the choices that we make. We are all radically free to determine our own essence.

Sartre wanted to show that we are all ultimately responsible for our lives. If we are radically free, then what happens to us is, in a way, always up to us. Although we can’t control external circumstances, we can control how we react to them. We are nothing except the choices that we make, the attitudes that we adopt, and the things that we do. We have no one else to blame but ourselves.

Even if we think that Sartre’s claim is too strong, or flat out false, that doesn’t meant that it isn’t useful. A lot can be learned from taking false ideas seriously. The idea that we have radical freedom to shape our lives is both liberating and daunting. It forces us to feel the true weight of every thought, action, and choice that we make. Ultimately, these are the things that primarily determine who and what we are.