Sartre began his career as a teacher of philosophy, but he quickly became well known as a writer and dramatist. In both literature and philosophical writing, he explored the ideas from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche about choosing value systems and finding meaning, often using characters like Roquentin, a man who feels alienated by society and its values. His most influential book, Being and Nothingness (1943), explores the idea that we are responsible for our actions and choices, and that we must create our own meaning in life. We cannot be created by God for a purpose, so instead, we should create our own meaning in our lives. Our existence precedes our essence, so we start out existing and later find ourselves and experience ‘existential angst’. Then we can shape our own essence, determining what kind of person we will become. In fact, we always already exist – we just aren’t aware of it. Once we are aware of it, we can act freely and live to the fullest. But there is an inherent conflict between personal freedom and societal constraints, and we may end up feeling unhappy because we don’t fit into the society around us. Sartre later joined the Communist Party and modified his view to say that we can’t ever completely escape society’s values.
Introduction
How do we really define Philosophy? The Greek word φιλοσοφία – Philosophia. Or as the term has been coined by modern Western language – Philosophy. The literal meaning of this word is relatively static. Derived from its Greek origin it comprises two separate words...
