WHY EXISTENTIALISM IS A HUMANISM?

Why Existentialism is a Humanism?

Victoria Cruz, Alex P. Mendez, Richard Allende, Cristan Gutierrez, Solomon Vega
Planet Halcyon
In his public lecture, Existentialism is a Humanism, delivered in 1945, Jean-Paul Sartre
started off on a defensive foot. He stated that others have condemned us for emphasizing what
is despicable about humanity...ignoring the beauty and the brighter side of human
nature.(Sartre, 2007, p.17). He stated adamantly that existentialists have one thing in common:
the belief that for human beings, existence comes before essence (Sartre, 2007, p.26). He
stressed that in contrast to a designed and manufactured object, such as a paper knife, human
beings do not have a pre-determined purpose or nature. Sartre explains that we cannot suppose
that a man would produce a paper knife without knowing what purpose it would serve (Sartre,
2007, p.21). Humans, as Sartre explains, do not have that predetermined essence the way a paper
knife does- there isn't anything that we ought to be. He saw everything as a choice that man must
make, not only for himself but for mankind. The human predicament is that we're forced to
choose what we will become. We define ourselves by our choice of action or lack of actionhuman beings have no essence to begin with.
Existentialism is a Humanism is Halcyons foundational text because it shines a light on
human responsibility, something that is often cast aside. If everybody was aware of how big their
responsibility is, the world would be a much better place. People would think carefully. They
would think not only for themselves but for all of man. It certainly makes mankind nervous,
uneasy, to be so aware of the consequences of their choices, but once they become aware of the
enormity of their choices, they would understand that in choosing for yourself, you choose for
mankind: freedom is a shared act.

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Because [man] can never explain [his] actions by reference to a given immutable
nature... there is no human nature: man conceives himself. In our newly created society, shifting
the blame to human nature will not suffice. The people of Halcyon will have to realize that they
are responsible for everything they do. This is critical element of the Halcyonic culture: taking
responsibility.

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Man is condemned to be free

It is quite a liberating thing knowing that you exist before you really are. What that
statement implies for human life is that you can do anything you wish. It places an importance on
choice, and choices have consequences. You do not have the option of choosing whether you are
free or not; freedom is inevitable. Halcyon wants to wake up people from their life-long dream of
self-deception. Show people the enormity of their choices, and most importantly, inform them of
their freedom. Sure, the word freedom has, over time, become quite stale. It is used freely, easily,
and often. Sartre reminds us that freedom, ironically enough, does not come freely. It comes
attached with responsibility that should not be ignored, a condemnation.. However, Halcyon does
not want its citizens to see this in an imposing or pessimistic way. Yes, you have a huge social
responsibility to make decisions for mankind, but freedom and individuality really are a net gain:
you can make a living, beautiful plane of creation. This is what freedom means in existentialism.

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References
Sartre, J. P. (2007) Existentialism is a humanism. (C. Macomber, Trans.). New Haven & London:
Yale University. (Original work published 1947).