The Life of Jean-Paul Sartre

860 Words2 Pages

Existentialism could be defined as a philosophical theory that focuses on the individual person being a free and responsible person who determines his or her own development through acts of will. Existentialism is a thesis that has been discussed by some of the greatest philosophical minds ever to live. Minds such as Kierkegaard and Nietzsche all had their own view on what existentialism was and major impact on the development of this thesis. Each of these philosophies played a huge influence on a great mind that would come later on in history. That was the mind of Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre, who is considered one of the great philosophical minds, based many of his ideas around the idea of existentialism and phenomenology. Throughout this paper we will take an extensive look into the life and mind of Jean-Paul Sartre. On the 21st of June 1905, Anne-Marie Schweitzer and Jean-Baptiste Sartre gave birth to their one and only child, Jean Paul Sartre. Anne-Marie was forced to raise Jean-Paul all by herself after Sartre’s father, John-Baptiste, died. Jean Paul Sartre became interested in philosophy after reading the essay “Time and Free Will” by Henri Bergson. In 1929, Sartre met Simone de Beauvoir. Beauvoir, who later on became a celebrated philosopher, stayed friends with Sartre throughout his entire life and would be the closest thing to a wife Sartre would ever have. In 1939, Sartre was drafted into the French army as a meteorologist. He was captured by German troops in 1940 and spent nine months as a prisoner of war. After World War II, Sartre emerged as a politically engaged activist. He was an outspoken opponent of French rule in Algeria. He also embraced Marxism; a theory based on communism, and visited Cuba, me... ... middle of paper ... ...ography. "Jean-Paul Sartre". 27 02 2014 . Donohoe, Dr. Benedict O'. Why Sartre Matters. 09 03 2014 . Heter, Storm. Sartre's Political Philosophies . 09 03 2014 . Jean Paul Sartre's Philosophy in being and Nothingness. 07 03 2014 . Levy, Neil. Sartre. One World Publications, 2002. Media, Nobel. Jean-Paul Sartre - Biographical. 07 03 2014 . Sartre, Jean-Paul. Existentialism is a humanism. 1946. Smith, David Woodruff. Phenomenology. Ed. Edward N. Zalta. 2013. . Team, Shmoop Editorial. The Files. 11 11 2008. 08 03 2014.

Open Document