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Existentialism In Jean-Paul Sartre

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Many people use the guidelines that society teaches them to organize themselves; justifying their beliefs and actions and giving their lives purpose. Whether it is religion, a constitution, state law, or personal belief, everyone relies on something. But what if society couldn’t use these crutches, these templates, these rules to give meaning to our lives? What if one couldn’t bring themselves to believe in these paradigms? What if they find inconstitiouses in all of these philosophies? What can society believe in then? Is all of life a sham? Are all of our thoughts, hopes, dreams and beliefs meaningless? Existentialism is the philosophy which answers these questions, and it is what Jean-Paul Sartre explores in his three plays: No Exit, The Respectful Prostitute and The Flies. Existentialism is a philosophy started in the 20th century, which playwright Jean-Paul Sartre let greatly influence his work, bringing existentialism to the educated world. This philosophy helps to guide society through the uncertainties in life. A concept that fills in the gaps between the meaning of one thing and the meaninglessness of another. Putting emphasis on the individual instead of society as a whole. We spend our lives striving towards a purpose in the world that we will never be able to achieve, as meaning is determined by the individual. Each person must wield their personal freedom to decide for themselves what is right or wrong, without the influence of society or religion.

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