Was Existentialism a Humanism

As stated in my definition, human beings define themselves and determine their future through their thoughts and actions. Each human lives in a world of their past decisions and follows a path to the future they want to hold. With this, a human beings destiny or purpose could not be predetermined by some higher being. Since humans have the capability to make their own choices, then they have the ability to change their path in life. It would be impossible to set a standard reality for humans if they are constantly evolving and developing.

For this reason, human beings are shown to have complete control over their destiny. Although human beings are able to make their own life choices, these decisions can be influenced by the environment surrounding them. These influences help human beings fully reach their potential or goal in life. The factors that influence a human being do not make the choices for them, rather these factors aid humans in creating their life path.

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I believe that as human beings develop they learn from those around them and make decisions based off of their experiences. These factors are able to help shape human beings into who they want to be. They use these experiences and influences to determine how they want to define themselves and what path they need to take in order to do so.

Through this redefining of the word “human being”, other terms, as well, need to be improved. Generally, we would define something that is harsh, cruel or lacking emotion as inhuman.

Through this definition we would assume that a being that is compassionate and sympathetic could be constituted as a human since it is the opposite of inhuman. Yet, these characteristics do not completely identify and distinguish what a human being really is. For this reason, the word inhuman should be defined as being unable to hold control over one’s own life. An individual that acts as a bystander in their own lives, not making any deliberate decisions in order to control their destiny should be considered inhuman. It is a natural process for a human being to learn from experiences and make hard decisions in order to grow and develop. Allowing other individuals to define who you are and choose your destiny constrains you from reaching the full potential of a human being.

Furthermore, the definition and clarity of the phrase “human being” has been developed by many philosophers, in order to establish the concepts they believe in. In Existentialism is a Humanism, the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre explains the basic principles of existentialism, which develop what it means to be human. Sartre states, “If, however, it is true that existence is prior to essence, man is responsible for what he is. Thus, the first effect of existentialism is that it puts every man in possession of himself as he is, and places the entire responsibility for his existence squarely upon his own shoulders” (Sartre 3). Sartre believes that human beings are solely responsible for their actions because they choose who they are. Human beings are born as a blank slate and become defined through their choices and actions. With this, Sartre also believes that “existence precedes essence” meaning that human beings do not have a predestined purpose in life. These ideas developed by Sartre agree with my definition of a human being, in such that human beings have complete control of their own destiny.

Similarly, the theory of agency, constructed by the philosopher Richard Taylor, proclaims that a human being has the capability to be the first cause of motion. This means that a human beings actions and choices do not occur randomly, rather human beings deliberately decide what decision to make. Taylor states, “Now, this conception fits what people take themselves to be; namely, beings who act, or who are agents, rather than beings that are merely acted upon, and whose behavior is simply the causal consequence of conditions that they have not wrought (Taylor 414). Taylor explains that a human beings actions are not caused by anyone or anything other than themselves. A human being is the cause of their own choices, therefore they have the ability to control their own destiny. Overall, Sartre and Taylor demonstrate through their work the responsibility of a human being to act on their own and control their purpose in life.

References

• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Existential Comics
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy