Existentialism Is a Humanism
Freedom without excuses, and responsibility without guarantees.
- 28 min read
- ~31 min listen
- 11 chapters
- 11 chaptersBite-sized, one key idea at a time
- Read or listenSwitch any time and Fenzo keeps your place
- Your depthQuick, standard or in-depth versions of one book
- Take notes as you readNote any paragraph, find it later in Notes
Chapters
11 sections on the book’s key ideas.
About this book
A wartime lecture argues that people are not born with a fixed nature and then told how to live. That can leave you with no excuses, but it also leaves room to choose your own values and own them fully.
What you'll learn
- Identify how Sartre uses the paper-knife example to separate human existence from a prewritten essence.
- Apply the idea of anguish to decisions that affect other people, not just your own future.
- Recognize bad faith and the human condition as limits that still leave you responsible for your choices.
A taste of chapter 1
Chapter 1
Sartre opens by pointing to a small, telling misuse. People have started using the word existentialism as a social alibi, a way to excuse being shocking or crude and then calling it philosophy. That drift matters because it turns a serious position into a fashionable label, and it also makes it easier for critics to attack a caricature instead of what the view actually says.
He gives his talk in public, right after the war, to a crowded audience that has heard the word used as a mood, a scandal, or a sign of despair. He frames the lecture as a defense because the term is being pulled in two directions at once. It is being diluted by popularity, and it is being targeted by hostile critiques that treat it as morally dangerous and politically useless.
Ideas worth remembering
The book’s biggest ideas, one line each, in Fenzo’s words.
- Fenzo takeaway
People are not defined first and judged later; they define themselves by acting.
- Fenzo takeaway
A choice is never only personal, because it sets an image of what humans can be.
- Fenzo takeaway
Freedom brings anguish because no outside authority can choose for you.
- Fenzo takeaway
Bad faith hides freedom behind excuses, temperament, or circumstance.
- Fenzo takeaway
Humanism here means self-surpassing action, not worship of humanity.
Themes
- Existence and essence
- Freedom and responsibility
- Anguish
- Bad faith
- Humanism
About the author
Jean-Paul Sartre
Philosopher, playwright, and novelist · 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate
Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher, novelist, playwright, and political thinker. He became one of the most prominent European intellectuals of the twentieth century and developed existentialist philosophy in works such as Being and Nothingness and Existentialism Is a Humanism. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964 but declined it.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does the summary of Existentialism Is a Humanism take?
About 28 minutes to read, across 11 short chapters. You can also listen to the whole summary of Existentialism Is a Humanism, or switch to a quicker or deeper version.
Who wrote Existentialism Is a Humanism?
Existentialism Is a Humanism was written by Jean-Paul Sartre and first published in 1946.
What is Existentialism Is a Humanism about?
A wartime lecture argues that people are not born with a fixed nature and then told how to live. That can leave you with no excuses, but it also leaves room to choose your own values and own them fully.
What will I learn from Existentialism Is a Humanism?
Identify how Sartre uses the paper-knife example to separate human existence from a prewritten essence. Apply the idea of anguish to decisions that affect other people, not just your own future. Recognize bad faith and the human condition as limits that still leave you responsible for your choices.
Can I listen to the summary of Existentialism Is a Humanism?
Yes. Every chapter of the summary of Existentialism Is a Humanism is narrated, about 31 minutes of listening, and Fenzo keeps your place when you switch between reading and listening.
Is there a shorter version of Existentialism Is a Humanism?
Yes. Every Fenzo book summary comes as a quick read, a standard summary and an in-depth version. Switch between them from the depth control at the top of this page.
What should I read after Existentialism Is a Humanism?
Readers of this book often go on to The Gay Science, Twilight of the Idols, The Republic.
Ready when you are
Chapter 1 takes about 3 minutes. Read it, or listen on the go.