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Existentialism

Existentialism starts from an unsettling premise: the universe comes with no instruction manual for what your life should mean.

By Greg Goodwin · Published July 3, 2026 · Updated October 24, 2026

Existentialism

Cheat Sheet

  • Existentialism is a philosophical movement, prominent especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, centered on individual existence, freedom, and the challenge of creating meaning in a universe without inherent, predetermined purpose.
  • A central existentialist idea, often summarized as "existence precedes essence," holds that humans first exist and only afterward define their own nature and purpose through their choices, rather than being born with a fixed, predetermined purpose.
  • Existentialist philosophers include Søren Kierkegaard, often considered an early precursor, and Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, both closely associated with 20th-century existentialist thought.
  • Existentialism places significant emphasis on individual freedom and responsibility, arguing that people are ultimately responsible for the choices that shape who they become.
  • The concept of "the absurd," closely associated with Albert Camus, describes the perceived tension between humanity's desire for inherent meaning and a universe that offers none on its own.
  • Existentialist themes have significantly influenced literature, film, and popular culture well beyond formal academic philosophy, particularly regarding questions of authenticity and personal meaning.

The 60-Second Version

Existentialism is a philosophical movement, prominent especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, centered on individual existence, freedom, and the challenge of creating meaning in a universe without inherent, predetermined purpose. A central existentialist idea, often summarized as "existence precedes essence," holds that humans first exist and only afterward define their own nature and purpose through their choices, rather than being born with a fixed, predetermined purpose. Existentialist philosophers include Søren Kierkegaard, often considered an early precursor, and Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, both closely associated with 20th-century existentialist thought. Existentialism places significant emphasis on individual freedom and responsibility, arguing that people are ultimately responsible for the choices that shape who they become. The concept of "the absurd," closely associated with Albert Camus, describes the perceived tension between humanity's desire for inherent meaning and a universe that offers none on its own. Existentialist themes have significantly influenced literature, film, and popular culture well beyond formal academic philosophy, particularly regarding questions of authenticity and personal meaning.

The Long Version

Existence Before Essence

Existentialism's most famous organizing idea, often summarized as "existence precedes essence," holds that humans first simply exist, without any predetermined nature or purpose, and only afterward, through their own choices and actions over the course of a life, come to define who they actually are, a direct reversal of the idea that people are born with a fixed, already-determined essence or purpose to fulfill.

From an Early Precursor to Its 20th-Century Peak

While Søren Kierkegaard, writing in the 19th century, is often considered an important early precursor to existentialist thought, the movement reached its most widely recognized cultural and philosophical prominence in the 20th century through figures like Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, whose work extended existentialist ideas across philosophy, literature, and popular culture simultaneously.

Freedom, and the Weight of Genuine Responsibility

A central existentialist theme is the emphasis on individual freedom, and correspondingly, individual responsibility, arguing that since humans aren't born with a predetermined nature or purpose, they bear real responsibility for the choices that actively shape who they ultimately become, a responsibility existentialist philosophers often treated as simultaneously liberating and genuinely difficult to fully confront.

Confronting the Absurd

Albert Camus's concept of "the absurd" describes the perceived tension between humanity's persistent desire for inherent meaning and purpose, and a universe that, in Camus's view, offers no such inherent meaning on its own, a tension Camus argued individuals must consciously confront and find their own way of living with, rather than resolving through denial or false comfort.

Why People Care

Existentialism's core questions about freedom, meaning, and authentic living remain deeply relevant well beyond formal philosophy, having significantly shaped literature, film, and popular culture's ongoing engagement with questions of personal purpose and identity.

Glossary

Existence precedes essence
The existentialist principle that humans first exist and only afterward define their own nature and purpose through choice.
Jean-Paul Sartre
A prominent 20th-century existentialist philosopher and writer closely associated with the movement's development.
Albert Camus
A philosopher and writer closely associated with existentialism and the concept of "the absurd."
The absurd
The perceived tension between humanity's desire for inherent meaning and a universe that offers none on its own, a concept closely associated with Camus.
Søren Kierkegaard
A 19th-century philosopher often considered an important early precursor to existentialist thought.

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