Comfort in the Uncomfortable: My connections with Jean-Paul Sartre and his work

There is a genuine challenge in deciding on a favourite within any subject of great passion and interest. However, in such a diverse and deeply subjective area such as philosophy, ‘favourites’ are even harder to ascertain.

Philosophy is a powerful tool that connects to me in different ways. When I discuss Daniel Dennett’s compatibilist theory of freedom, my perception of justice is challenged, along with my conception of agency and evolution. In considering Kant’s deontic ethical theories, I find various resonances with the method of my everyday decision making. So, I find the world of philosophy hard to escape, as every action and thought has a deeper connection to centuries of philosophical contemplation.

However, I have found no other philosopher who has connected so fully with me, as Jean-Paul Sartre and his existentialist theories of freedom. There are multiple reasons for this — the first arrived prior to my knowledge of him.

The feelings of anguish and forlornness were familiar to me as a developing teenager long before my first introduction to Sartre’s theories of existentialism. This was significant to my interpretation of his works, as unlike any other philosophical knowledge I had come across before, I encountered Sartre’s ideas so strongly and individually before reading material on him. Similar to this, in a discussion with my brother regarding the ‘meaning of life’, I found myself aligning with a similar position to Sartre’s:

Every existing thing is born without reason…

Existentialism found its way into my thinking before I knew it was thought up before. Sartre’s works became an articulated memoir of my past emotions and thoughts, and because of this I find myself understanding his arguments and concepts far quicker than other philosophers.

However, there is another reason his work and writing resonates with me so closely, and it is in the function his theories have had to myself and the wider community.

Although initially, absurdism is challenging and often overwhelming, there is a strange comfort in a meaningless world previous to our being. Knowing I am the Master of my own fate is empowering, and I find Sartre’s theories of freedom encapsulate the ultimate opportunity we have in this beautiful, expansive world. Even abandonment opens up to the exploration of the self and the nature of our identity.

Ultimately, I find Sartre is a fantastic philosopher when one seeks guidance and the power of the individual will. I believe that connections similar to mine exist between various philosophers and students like me. I hope that you find a philosopher to connect with, and they enable you to understand an element of your self or the world to a greater extent that you could ever before.