§2 Existentialism: Existence Precedes Essence

Existentialism is perhaps the most “practical” branch of philosophy because it deals directly with the “weight” of living. Using primary texts from Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus, we can explore how a Reasonable Person constructs a life when there is no pre-written script.

2.1 The Radical Claim: Existence Precedes Essence

In his primary lecture, Existentialism is a Humanism, Jean-Paul Sartre explains that for a manufactured object (like a letter-opener), the “essence”—its purpose and design—comes before its physical “existence.” A craftsman has a plan before the object is made.

However, for human beings, the reverse is true: Existence precedes essence.

• The Definition: We appear on the scene, we exist, and only afterwards do we define ourselves.

• The Consequence: There is no “human nature” or “divine plan” that determines who you are. You are nothing other than what you make of yourself through your choices.

2.2 Facticity vs. Transcendence: The Human Tension

In The Ethics of Ambiguity, Simone de Beauvoir elaborates on the two-fold nature of human existence. To live authentically, one must balance:

1. Facticity: These are the “brute facts” that limit us. You didn’t choose your parents, your genetic makeup, the laws of physics, or the fact that you will eventually die.

2. Transcendence: This is the “nothingness” at the heart of human consciousness—the ability to say “No” to your past and “Yes” to a different future.

The Moral Duty: De Beauvoir argues that to be moral is to use your transcendence to constantly push against the limits of your facticity. To give up and say “That’s just the way I am” is to treat yourself like an object rather than a person.

2.3 Bad Faith (Mauvaise Foi)

Sartre uses the term Bad Faith to describe the most common way humans avoid the “anguish” of freedom.

• The Waiter Example: Sartre describes a waiter who is a bit too much like a waiter—his movements are too mechanical, his voice too precise. He is “playing” at being a waiter to convince himself that being a waiter is his “essence.”

• The Trap: Whenever you say “I have no choice,” you are in Bad Faith. You are pretending to be an object (which has no choice) to escape the terrifying responsibility of being a free agent.

2.4 Camus and the Absurd: The Heroic Struggle

In The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus addresses the feeling that life is “meaningless.” He defines The Absurd as the collision between the human cry for meaning and the “unreasonable silence” of the world.

• Sisyphus as the Absurd Hero: Sisyphus is condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain, only for it to roll back down for eternity.

• The Resolution: Camus argues that Sisyphus is actually victorious when he turns back toward the plain to retrieve his rock. He knows his struggle is futile, but he chooses it anyway.

• The Takeaway: A life worth living is one where you acknowledge that the universe doesn’t give you meaning, so you “revolt” by creating your own joy and your own values in spite of it.

§2 Summary Table: The Existential Toolkit