Existentialism: Do We Have Free Will?

Do we have free will? This question has been studied by philosophers for thousands of years. Free will means having the ability to choose our own actions independently. Some philosophers argue that we don’t have free will because they believe that actions are determined based on previous events or influences; therefore, external influences determine how we act. Other philosophers will argue that we do have free will. In this case, they believe that humans decide their actions randomly. Regardless of which side you believe, free will has a major impact on decision making. In the same way, this philosophical question relates to existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophical theory emphasizing individual freedom in which one is responsible for their own fate and development. Jean-Paul Sartre wrote a passage on this theory called Existentialism is a …show more content…
People of faith believe that essence comes before existence. They may believe that they were put on the earth for a reason, and their purpose was determined by God before they even existed. In contrast, Sartre being atheist, believed that essence comes after existence. In this way, man is put into existence to be defined afterward. Man creates himself through his own freedoms and becomes what he has accomplished. In addition, we must think deeper and define ourselves as more than one thing. For example, a person is more than just a parent, sibling, occupation, etc. Personal values and actions truly define who we are. Furthermore, Sartre relates his ideology to the world wars through encouraging people to take their own action. He thought that people of faith should choose to take responsibility for their own world, and they shouldn’t wait for God to make things better. He believed that humans were put on this earth to fend for themselves and decide their own fate. Based on the destruction of both world wars, humans needed much