In an age where we often blame "the algorithm" or "the system" for our lives, Sartre’s core principles offer a radical path back to agency.
Sartre famously argued that existence precedes essence. We are not born with a pre-installed "soul" or a biological destiny. We are a blank canvas. In the creator economy and the world of social media, we are constantly "curating" ourselves. Sartre would argue that you aren't a "writer" or an "entrepreneur" because of a degree; you are those things only because you choose to write or build every single day. We are the sum of our actions, not our intentions.
For Sartre, freedom isn't a gift—it's a sentence. "We are left alone, without excuse." Even deciding not to act is a choice. We often feel paralyzed by the sheer volume of options. Whether it’s choosing a climate-conscious diet or deciding which news source to trust, the "neutral" ground has disappeared. To remain silent on a social issue is, in itself, a loud choice.
If we are truly free, we are totally responsible for the world we inhabit. This realization leads to what Sartre called Anguish (L'angoisse). This isn't clinical anxiety; it’s the dizzying realization that our individual choices contribute to the collective "Essence" of humanity. If I choose a life of mindless consumption, I am effectively saying, "This is how a human should live." That responsibility is heavy, but it is also where our power lies.
Perhaps Sartre’s most relevant concept today is Bad Faith. This is the act of lying to ourselves, claiming we "had no choice" because of our job, our upbringing, or social pressure. Saying "I have to stay in this toxic job" or "I can't help the environment because I'm just one person" is, for Sartre, an act of self-deception. To claim we are objects moved by external forces is to deny our humanity. "Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself." — Jean-Paul Sartre
Sartre’s philosophy isn't about despair; it’s about radical empowerment. In a world that tries to turn us into predictable data points for advertisers, Sartrean thought reminds us that we are not "users" or "consumers" by nature. We are free agents.
Every choice—every click, every purchase, every conversation—is an architect’s stroke on the building of our lives. We are the authors of our own essence. The question is: what are you choosing to write today?
