Skip to main content

Jean-Paul Sartre and Existentialism

3,704,712 Views

10,992 Questions Answered

Best of Web

Let’s Begin…

The French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre was a crucial figure in Existentialism. Although his work may seem dauntingly incomprehensible at first glance, this video from The School of Life makes Sartre's ideas--about the absurdity of the world, humans' freedom of choice, and the fluidity of our supposedly rigid roles and institutions--shockingly understandable. 

Do you find Sartre's "admission that life doesn't have some pre-ordained logic and is not inherently meaningful" to be inspiring, depressing, or neither? Do you agree that "things don't have to be the way they are?"

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Best of Web

TED-Ed Best of Web are exceptional, user-created lessons that are carefully selected by volunteer teachers and TED-Ed staff.

Meet The Creators