About the book
Jean-Paul Sartre's lecture at the Club Maintenant in Paris was given to clear up common misconceptions about his thought, and its published text became a central statement of existentialism that made him an international celebrity. Its core claim is that existence precedes essence: a person begins as nothing and creates a self through freely made choices. Sartre rejects deterministic excuses, insisting that people take responsibility for their actions and that in choosing for themselves they commit all of humanity, which he links to anguish; he also treats abandonment and despair. The volume adds his commentary on Camus's The Stranger, an introduction by Arlette Elkaïm-Sartre, a Q&A with Sartre about the lecture and a foreword by biographer Annie Cohen-Solal.
David Heinemeier Hansson, in his roundup of books he read in 2018, said it lays out the core tenets of existentialism about as directly as possible for a newcomer.
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This book has 1 recommendation
David Heinemeier Hansson (Co-Founder/Basecamp)
As a newcomer to existentialism, it can be hard to wrap your brain around the core concepts when reading novels like The Stranger or Nausea, or writers like Kierkegaard. You get a great feel for the existentialist ambience, but what are the core tenets? This (short) book delivers it about as directly as you can get it, as it’s basically just two parts: 1) An account of a lecture/defense that Sartre gave of existentialism, complete with a debate with someone in the audience, and 2) Sartre’s review of Camus’ The Stranger.
The key concept that Sartre explains is the notion of Existence Precedes Essence. It’s one of those concepts that sounds intimidatingly highbrow, but really just means that we are not born with a purpose before we are “thrown into this world”. That then sets the stage for reaffirming human choice. That we always have a choice. That destiny or divine purpose is just an excuse we use not to make (hard) choices.
This description of existentialism really resonated with me and provides a wonderful alternative vision to the stoic philosophy. There’s much agreement between the two views of the world, but also enough disagreement to provide interesting tension. Especially between the Aurelius version of stoicism, which endlessly belabors the point of doing “what the universe asks you to do”.
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