Existence precedes Essence

 This phrase from Sartre expresses the conviction that humans exist in a way that is different from other things – such as trees, cultural artifacts, or animals. We cannot be understood as mere things that are objectively present because we exist, because we make choices and take action throughout our lives, and this changes who we are in an unpredictable way. Therefore, there is no pre-given ‘essence’ that determines who and what we are. We are self-making beings that become who we are on the basis of the choices we make as our lives unfold.

The Self as a Tension

If the human existence is a process of self-creation rather than object- or thing-like, then the structure of the self involves a tension or struggle between what can be called ‘facticity’ and ‘transcendence,’ or between what it is now and what it could be.

Freedom and Anxiety

As beings that can relate to their own facticity, existentialists generally agree that humans are free and responsible for who they are and what they do. But this realization is often accompanied by anguish because it implies that  we alone are responsible for the choices and actions we make. This combination of freedom and anxiety is at the same time our ethical condition: Existentialists reject the idea that there are moral absolutes that exist independent from us, or that we can solve this tension through utilitarian calculations. They emphasize the choice-character of human action; natural or moral laws can not explain or justify our actions.

Insider’s Perspective

Because human existence is not thing-like and can therefore not be studied from a perspective of detached objectivity, existentialists believe that we can understand ourselves only by taking something like an ‘insider’s perspective.’ That is, prior to any abstract theorizing about who or what we are, we must first come to terms with the experience of being human as it is lived within the context of our own situation. For this reason, existentialists reject the idea that there can be objectivity when it comes to giving an account of human existence.

Emotions are revealing

Existentialists believe that we do not gain knowledge of the human situation through detached thought or rational demonstration, but through the affective experiences of the individual. We understand what matters in our lives through emotions and moods, they ground and orient individual life, and thus they have the potential to reveal the truth of our existence.

The Possibility for Authenticity? 

Because we have a tendency to conform to the social roles and pre-configured identities of the public sphere, existentialists countered this with a strong emphasis on individual existence and the way it gets actualized. Heidegger suggested the term “Eigentlichkeit,” which can be translated as “authenticity.” The question of how to live a life of authentic existence, how to be true to oneself, is central to the existentialists.

Ethics and Responsibility

Existentialism does not require adherence to a normative moral principle. This does not mean that existentialism is an amoral philosophy. The centerpiece of existential thinking is moral in character, because it relentlessly pursues fundamental of moral questions: ‘What should I do?’ and ‘How should I live?’