5 Lessons from Sartre

This short book considers a short (about thirty-seven page) speech given by the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) in 1945. In this speech, "Existentialism is a Humanism," Sartre defended existentialism against its critics. I consider what lessons of wisdom we can take from Sartre's speech. But I do that in a critical way--not in the sense of being hostile or negative but in the sense of examining and weighing what Sartre says to see where I agree and where I disagree. Like him or not, Sartre is a great thinker who is worth considering even if you may reject some or all of what he asserts and even if you reject his atheism. Such thinkers lead us to think for ourselves in response to their often-provocative statements and insights and also serve as examples of humans who ponder the big questions about our lives and our world. They think deeply, and so should we.