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Rothschild
Mikayla Rothschild
Professor Ochshorn
AWR 101
18 October 2020
Argumentative Essay on: “Existentialism is a Humanism” by Jean-Paul Sarte
“Existentialism is a Humanism” by Jean-Paul Sartre is a fascinating and in-depth
argumentative essay protecting and fortifying the concepts around existentialism from its
accusers. The arguments described by Sartre can be summarized within the following quote:
“. . . it [existentialism] cannot be regarded as a philosophy of quietism since it defines
man by his action; nor as a pessimistic description of man, for no doctrine is more
optimistic, the destiny of man is placed within himself” (9).
Sartre argues for the overall optimistic concepts that define existentialism for what it is: man is
what man decides to be. Within the essay, he incorporates the concepts of atheism and how the
very presence and existence of God itself would henceforth disregard the ideology of man being
able to be what they decide. He additionally expands on the idea of “existentialism is a
humanism” by discussing the fact that man is responsible for all of his decisions and choices, as
well as the choice to not choose. Sartre also describes how the emotions of anguish,
abandonment, and despair all coordinate with the ideas of existentialism. Anguish- man making
the conscious decision of what he will be can therefore no longer deny their sole responsibility in
the making of their being and additionally does not prevent man from choosing to act but is
rather a consequence of the action man has decided. Abandonment- since God does not exist the
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Rothschild
responsibility of what man does, or rather what man chooses to do, lies within man and man
itself. Man can no longer be able to project their actions and decisions based upon the moral code
of a God which doesn’t exist. One of his most powerful arguments is the concept of “existence
precedes essence” which one could consider another expansion of his atheism, where he
discusses how man is put into the world without a concept of who they are or what they will
become, for that is also up to man and man alone.
In this essay, I will be expanding on several of Sartre’s arguments within this essay, as
well as personally disagreeing with certain aspects of which he mentions. As an atheist myself, I
found many arguments made within the essay components I already believe in or have found
myself relating to unconsciously. However, regardless of my feelings regarding a superior being
in the universe, have there be one or not, I am a person with my individual sense of “good” and
my own moral compass on which I base my decisions off of. Overall, I too believe existentialism
is humanism, and human subjectivity is the very basis of what we consider “human nature.”
Although I agree with the overall concept that Sartre argues within his essay, some
aspects of his arguments I find myself not completely agreeing with. One of his many arguments
for existentialism is that “[man] is unable to ever choose the worse” when making a choice and
that “what [man chooses] is always the better, and nothing can be better for us [mankind] unless
it is better for all” (3). It is however true that a decision cannot be considered “good” unless it is
good for all of mankind, but the aspect of which man is only capable of picking the better option
is beyond ludicrous. Our history has shown countless, arguably, morally “bad” decisions that
have affected all of mankind. During the four-year-long mass genocide of the Jewish European
population, the leaders of the Nazi regime made conscious decisions to systematically murder
two-thirds of the entire Jewish European population. Commanders and Nazi soldiers made
Rothschild
Mikayla Rothschild
Professor Ochshorn
AWR 101
18 October 2020
Argumentative Essay on: “Existentialism is a Humanism” by Jean-Paul Sarte
“Existentialism is a Humanism” by Jean-Paul Sartre is a fascinating and in-depth
argumentative essay protecting and fortifying the concepts around existentialism from its
accusers. The arguments described by Sartre can be summarized within the following quote:
“. . . it [existentialism] cannot be regarded as a philosophy of quietism since it defines
man by his action; nor as a pessimistic description of man, for no doctrine is more
optimistic, the destiny of man is placed within himself” (9).
Sartre argues for the overall optimistic concepts that define existentialism for what it is: man is
what man decides to be. Within the essay, he incorporates the concepts of atheism and how the
very presence and existence of God itself would henceforth disregard the ideology of man being
able to be what they decide. He additionally expands on the idea of “existentialism is a
humanism” by discussing the fact that man is responsible for all of his decisions and choices, as
well as the choice to not choose. Sartre also describes how the emotions of anguish,
abandonment, and despair all coordinate with the ideas of existentialism. Anguish- man making
the conscious decision of what he will be can therefore no longer deny their sole responsibility in
the making of their being and additionally does not prevent man from choosing to act but is
rather a consequence of the action man has decided. Abandonment- since God does not exist the
, 2
Rothschild
responsibility of what man does, or rather what man chooses to do, lies within man and man
itself. Man can no longer be able to project their actions and decisions based upon the moral code
of a God which doesn’t exist. One of his most powerful arguments is the concept of “existence
precedes essence” which one could consider another expansion of his atheism, where he
discusses how man is put into the world without a concept of who they are or what they will
become, for that is also up to man and man alone.
In this essay, I will be expanding on several of Sartre’s arguments within this essay, as
well as personally disagreeing with certain aspects of which he mentions. As an atheist myself, I
found many arguments made within the essay components I already believe in or have found
myself relating to unconsciously. However, regardless of my feelings regarding a superior being
in the universe, have there be one or not, I am a person with my individual sense of “good” and
my own moral compass on which I base my decisions off of. Overall, I too believe existentialism
is humanism, and human subjectivity is the very basis of what we consider “human nature.”
Although I agree with the overall concept that Sartre argues within his essay, some
aspects of his arguments I find myself not completely agreeing with. One of his many arguments
for existentialism is that “[man] is unable to ever choose the worse” when making a choice and
that “what [man chooses] is always the better, and nothing can be better for us [mankind] unless
it is better for all” (3). It is however true that a decision cannot be considered “good” unless it is
good for all of mankind, but the aspect of which man is only capable of picking the better option
is beyond ludicrous. Our history has shown countless, arguably, morally “bad” decisions that
have affected all of mankind. During the four-year-long mass genocide of the Jewish European
population, the leaders of the Nazi regime made conscious decisions to systematically murder
two-thirds of the entire Jewish European population. Commanders and Nazi soldiers made
