Sartre’s main argument in Existentialism Is a Humanism is that
humans are free beings with the capability of making choices. He claims that
existence precedes essence. In other words, Sartre is stating that a human
exists and then creates projects for him or herself that will give them
meaning. These projects that humans create for themselves are completely based
on free will. An example which we discussed in class of a project that one sets
for themselves is going to college for the outcome of being a different person
by the end of the four years. I thought that this was interesting because it
made me realize that most of the choices I make in my life define who I am.
Another point that Sartre makes
that I thought was interesting was about “bad faith.” “Bad faith” is when one
lies to themself about the fact that they do not have the freedom of choice.
Sartre claims that even when you think you do not have a choice about
something, like going school, you are lying to yourself because you make a
choice to attend every day. Another example that Sartre makes of “bad faith” is
the waiter example. He says that the waiter is not actually a waiter, but is
choosing to play the role of a waiter. I think that people choose to attend
school, or play the role of a waiter, not because they are lying to themselves
about not having the ability to choose what they want to do, but because it is comforting
knowing that you have duties and a role in society.
After reading Satre’s philosophical theories, I began to question whether someone could be religious and free at the same time. Satre believes that the absence of God make a human responsible and in control of life. In my opinion, religious people are just as free, responsible, and in control of their life as nonreligious people. Just because someone is religious does not mean that their god is making all of their decisions for them. A religious person looks to their god to guide them in making decisions. However, the religious person can choose whether or not to follow their god’s decisions. It is like a relationship between a child and a parent. Parents can tell their child to do whatever they want them to do but at the end of the day, it is the child’s decision to do what he/she wants to do. It is no different than the relationship between a religious person and their god.
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