Existentialism Is a Humanism

by

Jean-Paul Sartre

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The Atheist Existentialists Character Analysis

Another group of existentialists, which includes Sartre and his groundbreaking German predecessor Martin Heidegger. Sartre argues that atheistic existentialism is defined by the belief that, for humans, “existence precedes essence.” While Sartre rejects the existence of God, at the end of his lecture he suggests that “even if God were to exist, it would make no difference.” Rather, atheist existentialists believe that humans are morally responsible for their actions and beliefs regardless of God’s existence and still need to “rediscover” themselves either way.
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The Atheist Existentialists Character Timeline in Existentialism Is a Humanism

The timeline below shows where the character The Atheist Existentialists appears in Existentialism Is a Humanism. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Existentialism Is a Humanism
Existence, Essence and the Human Condition Theme Icon
Radical Freedom, Choice, and Responsibility Theme Icon
Existentialism and Its Critics Theme Icon
...audience that existentialism is “strictly intended for specialists and philosophers.” Sartre distinguishes Christian existentialists from atheist existentialists like himself, but he declares that their commonality is the concept that “existence precedes essence.”... (full context)
Existence, Essence and the Human Condition Theme Icon
Abandonment and Atheism Theme Icon
Existentialism and Its Critics Theme Icon
...primordial “human nature” that defines people’s essence in advance. These atheists’ views contrast with Sartre’s atheistic existentialism , which maintains that for humans existence precedes essence. In other words, one finds oneself... (full context)