Existentialism is a theory developed to portray the notion that there is no God. Because there is no God, one may perhaps find their hell in other people. An existentialist believes that there is no one way as to how the world works. There is no supreme being, and no one to determine our human nature. We as human beings choose our nature, morals and consciousness. A well known existentialist, Jean Paul Sartre, is often referred to when this subject is brought about. Sartre was a French philosopher and playwright. He as well was an atheist who took part in the French resistance in World War Two. Sartre's ideas and theories greatly impacted society, as his thoughts are still about today.
Sartre particularly had a lot to say about the lack of human nature. He felt as though we were not created. Instead, humans are subjects, beings for themselves. According to his theory, we have no fixed characteristics, we consciously decide our essence. In fact, existence precedes our essence. This simply means that body, comes first; man must then create his own real meaning. He is thrown into the world struggling and suffering and then gradually defines himself. We define what it is to be human. There is no such thing as universal human nature; our actions are the results of radically free choices. As a subject of human consciousness, we are forced to choose. Sartre claims that we have to either accept the way that world is right now, or simply change it. This involves making a free choice that we are forced to choose. His definition on existentialism is a radical view that basically says that there are no instincts that cause our actions. .
Another important aspect of Sartre's theory was that of consciousness which factors into us defining ourselves. This is the thing that has awareness; the thinking thing. We are unable to make our own consciousness the object of our own thought. A person's consciousness is completely subjective.
