Sartre and existentialism
Some things have an essence that precedes existence Some things have an essence that precedes existence. A tool has a function that it is made to perform. But Sartre thinks human beings have no natural function. We exist first, then through our free choices create our own essences. This is what it means to say that existence precedes essence.
Our freedom is scary—it is a “monstrous” freedom Our freedom is scary—it is a “monstrous” freedom. We like to think that we have a nature, a character that explains what we do. E.g “I am am a lazy person, that is why I don’t clean my house”.. But really if you are lazy, its because you choose to be that way. We sometimes have our freedom revealeed when we realize we CAN jump off a bridge or move our car onto incoming traffic