Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre was the defining figure of French existentialism — a philosopher, novelist, and playwright who brought philosophy into the cafés and streets of Paris. His central claim — existence precedes essence — overturned centuries of thinking about human nature.

For Sartre, human beings have no fixed nature. We are condemned to create ourselves through our choices. This radical freedom comes with radical responsibility — bad faith is the attempt to deny this responsibility by pretending to be determined by nature, role, or circumstance.