A History of Ideas: Jean Paul Sartre and the Existential Choice

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A History of Ideas: Jean Paul Sartre and the Existential Choice

Cognitive and TED collaboration

Stephen Fry on Jean Paul Sartre and the Existential Choice

Ray Laurence

Do humans really live in anguish because they’re ‘condemned to be free’? This was a view put forward by the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. He saw our freedom to make choices as a burden, made worse by the fact that because we are what we do, these choices not only create who we are, but also fashion the world we live in. So remember, whether you watch this video or not has important ramifications for you and the world... no pressure. 

Want to hear more on this topic?

Here’s the whole episode from A History of Ideas – Writer Al Kennedy on Satre and the Individual.

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