Existentialism is a Christianism
Notes on Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism
I began reading Sartre’s lecture, “Existentialism as a Humanism,” in an effort to gain a firmer grasp on what the axioms might be for a non-theistic existentialist ethic. My theory is that existentialism cannot escape God. That is, even the atheist existentialism defines himself in relation to God and/or God’s absence.
I believed that the non-theistic existentialist ethic might revolve, to some degree, around authenticity. While Sartre doesn’t use this word too much — at least not in Macomber’s translation — I was proved largely correct. I was hoping, however, for a decent fleshing out of what this might mean. There, I was left disappointed and wanting more.
There are certain concepts in Sartre’s lecture that struck me. These are Abandonment, the Other, and mauvaise foi (Bad Faith). I will analyze Sartre’s use of these concepts, and then approach them from a Christological/Christian perspective with the purpose of discovering existentialism’s unavoidable Christian roots. Ultimately, these are just my notes and thoughts as I work through the material. There are many thoughts unthought. This is a rough draft, but this is what it is.
