L'existentialisme est un humanisme 176841 225902591 2008-07-15T22:59:38Z Ratiuglink 4796783 /* Main theses of the work */ '''''Existentialism is a Humanism''''' (''L'existentialisme est un humanisme'') is a 1946 [[philosophical]] work by [[Jean-Paul Sartre]]. It is seen by many as one of the defining texts in the [[Existentialist]] movement. In his text, Sartre says that the key defining point of Existentialism is that the [[existence]] of a person comes chronologically before his or her [[essence]]. In simple terms, this means that, although that person exists, there is nothing to dictate that person's character, goals in life, and so on. Only the person himself can define his essence: {{quote|Man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world - and defines himself afterwards.}} Thus, Sartre rejects what he calls "[[determinism|deterministic]] excuses" and claims that all people must take [[Moral responsibility|responsibility]] for their behaviour. Sartre defines [[angst]] and [[wiktionary:despair|despair]] as the emotions people feel once they come to realize that they are responsible for all of their actions. He also describes forlornness as loneliness atheists feel when they realize that they are all alone, that there is no God to watch over them. This is associated with despair and angst. The essay has been criticized by some for giving only a superficial overview of the themes of existentialism. The essay also boldly asserts that if a man seeks freedom for himself from false, external authorities, he at the same time must invariably will this freedom unto others (hence, existentialism offers a kind of humanism); however, Sartre offers no clear justification for this logic. Sartre himself has called this undeveloped morality an "error". "Existentialism is a Humanism" was also the title of a lecture he gave to a packed audience at Club Maintenant in Paris, on October 29, 1945. The book is based on the lecture. == Main theses of the work == * Existentialism is [[optimism|optimistic]] * [[Existence precedes essence]] * Man is nothing more than what he makes of himself * Fear is a condition of action * Man is abandonment * [[Freedom (philosophy)|Man is free]] * There is no pre-stablished [[morality]] * Existentialism is a humanism == Further reading == * Jean-Paul Sartre ''L'existentialisme est un humanisme'' Editions Nagel, Paris ISBN 2-07-032913-5 * Jean-Paul Sartre (tr. Philip Mairet) ''Existentialism and Humanism'' Methuen ISBN 0-413-31300-X ==External links== * [http://www.btinternet.com/~glynhughes/squashed/sartre.htm Condensed version of ''Existentialism is humanism''] * [http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/sartre/works/exist/sartre.htm Full version of "Existentialism is a humanism" lecture] [[Category:1946 books]] [[Category:Philosophy books]] [[Category:Existentialism]] [[Category:Existentialist works]] [[Category:Books by Jean-Paul Sartre]] [[Category:Cognitive science literature]] [[bs:Egzistencijalizam kao humanizam]] [[de:L'existentialisme est un humanisme]] [[es:El existencialismo es un humanismo]] [[fa:فلسفه اگزیستانسیالیسم سارتر]] [[fr:L'existentialisme est un humanisme]] [[hr:Egzistencijalizam je humanizam]] [[it:L'esistenzialismo è un umanismo]] [[sv:Existentialismen är en humanism]]