Existentialism

What gives your life purpose? Is it religion, love, money, work, hobbies, or something else? You may already have a personal sense of meaning, or perhaps you’re hoping this course will help you discover it. Some may believe their purpose is given by God, with a specific essence defining their existence. Regardless, no one would criticize your desire for a meaningful life, as it’s something many of us deeply long for.

As we move away from our exploration of the philosophy of religion, it’s worth considering how we find meaning in life. Many people dedicate significant energy to this quest, whether through religion, social justice, education, art, or other avenues. Existentialist philosophers, however, argue that these pursuits can provide meaning, but also contend that none of them inherently do.

Philosophy, as you know, involves a back-and-forth of ideas. In ancient Greece, Plato and Aristotle believed that everything has an essence, a set of core properties that make something what it is. If these essential traits are absent, the object ceases to be what it is. For example, a knife might have a wooden or metal handle, but without a blade, it’s not really a knife. Plato and Aristotle believed that human beings, too, have an essence that exists before birth. To live well is to fulfill that essence, and this view, known as essentialism, held sway until the late 19th century and still resonates with many people today.

However, in the late 1800s, thinkers began questioning whether humans have any inherent essence or purpose. Friedrich Nietzsche, for instance, embraced nihilism, the belief that life is ultimately meaningless. In the 20th century, Jean-Paul Sartre revisited this issue and proposed a new question: What if we exist first, without any preordained purpose? It’s up to us to define our essence. This idea formed the basis of existentialism, encapsulated in the phrase “existence precedes essence.” According to Sartre, our birth comes before any defined purpose, and it’s up to each individual to create their own meaning through their actions.

This concept was radical at the time because, for centuries, people believed that God or nature defined their purpose. But existentialism is not synonymous with atheism. While many existentialists are atheists, some, like Søren Kierkegaard, are theists. What theistic existentialists reject is the idea that God created the universe with any specific purpose for us or the world. God may exist, but assigning meaning to life is not part of His role.

In existentialism, we live in a universe without inherent meaning, and this is known as “the absurd.” While absurdity often refers to something ridiculous, existentialists use it to describe the search for meaning in a meaningless world. Humans need purpose, but we live in a universe where meaning is absent. This tension, according to existentialists, is what they call the absurd.

Since the world lacks inherent meaning, there are no absolute truths, cosmic justice, or rules. Existentialism grew out of 19th-century thinkers like Kierkegaard and Nietzsche but gained prominence after World War II, particularly in response to the horrors of the Holocaust. The war’s atrocities led many to question the idea of a meaningful, ordered world. Sartre, in particular, focused on one unsettling aspect of existentialism: the overwhelming freedom it entails.

Freedom, while generally seen as a positive, is terrifying for Sartre. Without a fixed purpose or guidelines, we must create our own moral framework. Sartre argued that we are “condemned to be free,” burdened by the responsibility of designing our own values. There are no authorities—like parents, governments, or religious institutions—that can provide answers. Those institutions are just people who have also had to figure out how to live.

The solution, for Sartre, is to live authentically. This means accepting the full responsibility of your freedom and recognizing that any meaning your life has is one you create. Choosing a path set by others—whether parents, religion, or society—is what Sartre called “bad faith,” an evasion of the absurd by pretending something outside yourself gives life meaning.

Sartre illustrated these ideas through a story about one of his students who faced a difficult decision. The young man was torn between joining the military to fight for a cause he believed in or staying home to care for his elderly mother. Both choices seemed equally important, but he could only follow one. Sartre argued that the right choice wasn’t determined by anyone else’s advice—it was for the young man to decide for himself, based on his own values.

While existentialism might seem bleak to some, it also offers a sense of liberation. Albert Camus, another existentialist, even claimed that the literal meaning of life is whatever keeps you from ending it. For most existentialists, though, the world may lack inherent meaning, but you can still choose to give it meaning through your actions and choices. If the world is devoid of purpose, you are free to define its meaning for yourself.

This concept extends beyond the individual to society. If we value justice, fairness, and order, we must create them, because, in an inherently meaningless world, they wouldn’t exist without our efforts. For some, this worldview might seem daunting, but for others, it can be empowering.

I hope you enjoyed learning about essentialism and its counterpoint, existentialism, and how Jean-Paul Sartre’s ideas on meaning in a meaningless world can offer us a new perspective.