AN EVALUATION OF THE PRIMACY OF FREEDOM, CHOICE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN JEAN PAUL SARTRE’S EXISTENTIALISM AND THE MORAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

The concept 'existentialism has been contentious and tremendously ambiguous just as the term 'humanism itself. However, it has generally been viewed as a protest against moral or physical determinism in regard to man. While 'humanism', in its general sense is seen as any system centered on the concepts of dignity and freedom of man. Consistently, Jean Paul Sartre built his existentialism on the fundamental principle of human freedom and makes concept it unique in his version of existentialism. Thus, Sartre begins his discuss on existentialism with a phenomenological description of reality. That is, a kind of analysis that emphasizes the primacy of human consciousness in relation to choice and freedom. This sense of consciousness in Sartre’s existentialism also preludes self-determination and freedom in relation to moral choice of man. Essentially, Sartre's version of 'existentialism is a unique concept of freedom. Therefore, this paper examines the primacy of Sartre's notion of freedom and its consequences in the realm of moral choice. To achieve this, the paper employs the tool of analytical method to evaluate some of the contending issues in Sartre’s submission on the concepts of choice, freedom and responsibility.