Jean Paul Sartre Existentialism Analysis

Existentialism is a Humanism was a popular lecture given by Jean-Paul Sartre in 1945 at Club Maintenant in Paris. Sartre is regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century. This lecture was his most widely read of all his philosophical works. The goal of the lecture was to explain that Sartre’s philosophy was a form of existentialism. Sartre’s aim was to defend existentialism against a number of charges which had been made against it (Warburton).
He believed that we are all born without a purpose or a predetermined plan. He compared life to a painter’s blank canvas. There is no telling what will become of it. There is no preceding essence. Existence precedes essence. We are born into a void. In the void nothing makes sense and there is nothing, not even God. However, we have the ability to create our own sense of meaning and peace. Just like the painter can create anything on the canvas, we can create ourselves and our essence through the free choices we make. Sartre felt that nothing pre-determines our goals and character. We define our own essence.
In making choices, we are not just committing to ourselves, but we are …show more content…
After reading Existentialism is a Humanism, I agree with some of what Sartre said but not everything. I don’t believe that there is no God or that we are born without a purpose. I am Catholic so naturally I do believe that there is a God. I don’t believe that mankind happened accidentally. Looking at the complexity of the universe and human beings, I can’t help but believe that there is a God. I don’t think that our purpose is what job we should have or who we should marry, rather I believe we have a spiritual path that is our purpose. My spiritual path is based on if I am honest, ethical, and true to my life. I believe that we all have a calling but for some people it is not always