Analysis Of Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism A Humanism

In Jean-Paul Sartre’s “Existentialism is a Humanism” he presents a new ideology from the traditional western philosophers in that he believes humans create their own morality and must abide by self decided rules rather than following a universal law of good. He ascertains the idea that man creates oneself rather than simply existing, thus allowing for humanity to choose their own actions according to their own moral compass for the greater good and therefore come with the burden of responsibility that this massive task leaves upon one's shoulders. He begins this thread of ideology by questioning how man has always been viewed within society, for they do not simply exist in essence but in a grander scheme. However, Sarte was not a believer …show more content…
Early in the text he discusses it is action that gives each man his truth, “Man is not only that which he conceives himself to be, but that which he wills himself to be” (Sartre 22). To Sartre, no matter the circumstances of birth any man can make the proper choices and actions to become whoever they wish to be within society. A pauper may be more moral than the King upon the throne because it is more important the moral decisions one chooses over the course of life than of status. Humans have the capability to decide their own destiny at any point and create themselves into the moral direction they wish to see the world. He states, “Existentialism will never consider man as an end, because man is constantly in the making” (Sartre 52), which is to say that every decision and every choice is important in deciding who someone is morally. An action tomorrow may drastically change who someone was today and it is because of this that action is what defines a human to be good or bad. It is because of this great weight of decision as well as judgement that he places upon human shoulders that leads to his final