Jean-Paul Sartre once gave a lecture so packed that 30 chairs got broken & 15 people passed out. It became one of the defining arguments of the 20th century for why you are what you do. My new essay for Aeon explores what Sartre got right about freedom and anguish – and where his argument that what’s good for me is good for everyone breaks down. Don’t despair, read it here :)
Thank you for writing. I’m still not smart enough to get existentialism. But I am dying to know whether you think Sartre was a moral realist or not. Or if the question is naïve why?
This was so good Skye. Thank you! I am *working* on something on the ethics of amiguity and nihilism and your essay gave me lots.