Thoughts on Jean-Paul Sartre?

Hey everyone... I was hoping someone might be able to help me out and weigh in on a few things here..

What’s Jean-Paul Sartre actually getting at when he says we act like objects and live without any real awareness of our own existence?
And what does he mean by the whole concept of "bad faith"?
He also brings up fear pretty often—why is that? What's his deal with us constantly lying to ourselves? Is it even possible to find happiness if you actually follow Jean-Paul Sartre's advice? Does it mean you have to be perpetually on guard just to make sure you aren't being self-deceptive? Also, was he a nihilist? Thanks in advance!

Tiger-19 said:Was he a nihilist?? Thanks in advance!

Nah, he was an existentialist
if I remember correctly, his followers were the ones who actually laid the groundwork for that movement

I have to admit, I find Jean-Paul Sartre absolutely fascinating, but at the same time, I just can't bring myself to agree with him. His whole take on life being one big absurdity is tough to swallow. We try so hard to run away from that reality by convincing ourselves we’re totally free, basically living in what he calls "bad faith" (if I remember his terminology correctly). Personally, I don't think we actually possess that much freedom—it feels like we can't just choose whatever we want, whenever we want, without consequences. I also struggle with his idea that realizing our true freedom inevitably triggers this overwhelming sense of dread...
What are your thoughts on all of this and Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy? Do you guys actually buy into his ideas? Cheers!

I honestly think we’ve got enough freedom to call our own shots and decide what we believe in... I have this friend who keeps preaching about how everything in life is already predestined—just more of that nonsense... Sorry, I totally lost my train of thought on your topic because I’m just venting after being baited by his constant lecturing on the subject... If he really buys into that stuff, then that's how he’ll act—convincing himself he has zero agency over anything... Anyway, I'm just rambling now... sorry... cheers

I find myself in agreement with him... just look at how many people are satisfied and yet... so few... no one seems to be truly content... everyone is searching for something. They crave limitations, laws, and regulations, because for a society to actually function, all of those things are absolutely essential. I honestly think if humans were ever truly free, we'd probably be extinct within a few weeks. Perhaps man's greatest invention is actually his own lack of freedom.

I’m with Spinoza on this one.
Freedom is nothing more than recognized necessity.
Period.

To me reminds me of Kierkegaard and his whole take on anxiety—that idea that anxiety is actually just the dread we feel when faced with the sheer weight of our own freedom and all those open possibilities.

I’m right there with him, and honestly, I feel the same way about Jean-Paul Sartre, too. When you realize how much freedom you actually have, you realize how much responsibility comes with it—the weight of every single choice you make, whether it turns out to be a brilliant move or a total disaster. I suspect most people's fear is really just a fear of making those wrong calls.

mistyscout2 said:It kind of reminds me of Kierkegaard and his take on anxiety—that idea that anxiety is actually just the dread of our own freedom and all the possibilities it brings.

I’m definitely on the same page as them, and honestly, I’d say I agree with Sartre too, because that freedom of choice carries this heavy weight of responsibility for everything we decide to do, whether it turns out well or not. I suspect most people are really just terrified of making those wrong turns.

But, you know, there’s more to the story than just that. It isn't a given that someone has "conquered" that internal struggle where they might lean toward a worse path, which is exactly where that fear kicks in. Maybe they just lacked a steady hand or some sort of guiding principle to keep them moving in the right direction. These are heavy thoughts to chew on, and while they carry a lot of weight once you sit with them, I don't think they should be considered the final word on the matter 😉.

Life can feel incredibly absurd sometimes, but it can also be the most meaningful journey imaginable. At the end of the day, our lives are really just a reflection of what's going on inside us; our actions and our thoughts are ultimately what shape our reality.

Sartre even put it pretty bluntly when he said something along the lines of "we are condemned to be free." It sounds like a total paradox, but if you look closer, it’s actually quite straightforward. I think most people are intuitively aware of this—we have the freedom to act, and while there are plenty of external factors out there, how much they actually impact us depends entirely on us. Unless, of course, those forces are just overwhelmingly stronger than we are, but that's a whole different conversation 🙂.