Existentialism Is a Humanism

By Jean-Paul Sartre

Existentialism Is a Humanism is Jean-Paul Sartre's famous 1945 lecture defending existentialism, presented in a translation by Carol Macomber. Sartre explains that "existence precedes essence": people are not born with a fixed nature but define themselves through their choices, and are therefore responsible for what they become. He answers critics who called existentialism gloomy, arguing it is a philosophy of action and freedom. This edition includes an introduction by Annie Cohen-Solal and Sartre's commentary on Camus's The Stranger.

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David Heinemeier Hansson: “This description of existentialism really resonated with me and provides a wonderful alternative vision to the stoic philosophy.”