Sartre's Existentialism Is a Humanism › Legacy and Connections

Sartre's existentialism did not emerge from nowhere. It draws on Søren Kierkegaard's emphasis on individual existence and the leap of faith, Friedrich Nietzsche's proclamation of the death of God and the need to create new values, Martin Heidegger's analysis of authentic and inauthentic existence, and Edmund Husserl's phenomenological method. The lecture's influence extended far beyond philosophy. Simone de Beauvoir, Sartre's lifelong companion and intellectual partner, applied existentialist principles to the situation of women in *The Second Sex*, arguing that "one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." This is a direct application of "existence precedes essence" to gender. Albert Camus, though he resisted the existentialist label, explored similar themes of absurdity and meaning-creation in *The Myth of Sisyphus* and his novels. In psychology, existentialist themes shaped the humanistic movement of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, with their emphasis on self-actualization and authentic living. Viktor Frankl's logotherapy, developed partly in Nazi concentration camps, built on the existentialist insight that humans can find meaning even in the most extreme circumstances. Contemporary acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) draws on existentialist ideas about choosing values and committing to action despite uncertainty. In literature and film, existentialism influenced everything from the theatre of the absurd to film noir to contemporary narratives exploring identity and choice. The questions Sartre raised remain the questions that drive serious art: Who am I? What should I do? How do I create meaning in a world without guarantees?