Jean-Paul Sartre

Existentialism

"Existence precedes essence", philosophical theory emphasising a person's own free will and responsibility in determining their own development, rather than the existence of Universal Laws, e.g. religion, politics, moral codes

Consciousness

A "being-in-itself", an object with this property is both aware of itself, and of something which is not itself

Existential crisis

A moment at which an individual questions the value, purpose or meaning of their life's foundations

Nausea

A realisation of the unpredictability of the outside world and our powerlessness to exert control over it

Objective

A state or quality of being true outside of a thinking individual's biases or interpretations (Sartre did not believe that this kind of thought existed in terms of human behaviour)

Subjective

Existing in an individual's own mind, according to their values, tastes and opinions; not falsifiable

Consistency

Maintaining the same sense of meaning/purpose in you life; if you recognise your freedom, but still choose to take on an objective role (e.g. a waiter), this is not bad faith because you are exercising this concept with your choice

Libertarianism

Man is completely morally responsible; the Universe therefore cannot be totally deterministic (with Universal Laws of behaviour)

Sincerity & Authenticity

Sartre's prescription for a truly fulfilling life, free from Bad Faith, by which a person recognises the unhappy truth of their own freedom and identifies what their own fundamental principle or project in life shall be

Bad faith

Self-deception through which we attempt to convince ourselves that we are not free, that our actions and attitudes are predetermined by our character, role in life, our situation, etc.

Being

Something which has essence, i.e. an objective existence

Nothingness

Term used by Sartre to describe the human consciousness; draws a connection between consciousness and freedom to imagine unfulfilled possibilities; humans attempt to escape this quality by trying to convince themselves that they are "beings" with an essence/objective purpose

Anguish

The feeling associated with recognising the necessary truth that we are totally free and have complete responsibility for our actions

Meaning for life

There is no objective purpose, there is only the meaning you prescribe