The Concept of Freedom in Jean-Paul Sartre’s Philosophy

محمد, دينا محمد عبدالحميد; محمد, صابر عبده أبا زيد; الشامي, محمد محمد حسين

doi:10.21608/qarts.2025.383512.2224

The Concept of Freedom in Jean-Paul Sartre’s Philosophy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ مقيدة ومسجلة بالدراسات العليا بقسم الفلسفة - کلية الآداب - جامعة جنوب الوادي

² أستاذ الفلسفة الإسلامية والتصوف كلية الآداب-جامعة جنوب الوادي

³ مدرس الفلسفة الحديثة والمعاصرة كلية الآداب-جامعة جنوب الوادي

10.21608/qarts.2025.383512.2224

Abstract

Freedom has become one of the most prevalent and widely discussed concepts in recent years. It serves as a vivid example of moral values across different civilizations and human cultures, as it constitutes one of the most important and complicated issues that humanity has grappled with, regardless of its diverse intellectual and doctrinal orientations. This concept has been employed extensively across various fields by numerous philosophers and thinkers. Notably, it occupies a central place in the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, for whom the idea of freedom is a core concern throughout his entire philosophical system. Sartre contended that human beings are freedom itself; indeed, the very essence of human existence is freedom, which is a fundamental condition of being. Moreover, he argued that human beings are condemned to freedom.
Jean-Paul Sartre presented a concise and straightforward definition of the concept of freedom. He analyzed and interpreted it, clarifying its relationship with commitment and responsibility. Sartre also examined it in relation to religion and ethics. His advocacy for freedom reflected the social conditions of European society between the two World Wars. Ultimately, Sartre sought to demonstrate both human freedom and full responsibility. He argues that human freedom, despite its apparent contradictions, constitutes a practical moral value that propels individuals beyond themselves into the act of shaping reality. As such, Sartre’s existentialism is closely related to the notion of dignity, as it does not treat the self merely as a means or an object. The awareness of one’s own existence inherently involves the recognition of the existence of others. This idea is reflected in Sartre’s novels and plays, which reveal the dilemmas inherent in a philosophy grounded in rebellious individualism and highlight the shortcomings of this phenomenological approach.

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