From Consciousness to Freedom: Understanding Sartre's Existentialism

Dr. Shahidul Hoque

Abstract: The 'individual subject' and the notion of 'existence' gained utmost concern in mainstream Western philosophy during the second half of the twentieth century. Western philosophy (especially French philosophy), by that time, was highly dominated by existential philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre (1905), an approach influenced by Husserl (1859) and Heidegger (1889), which tried to build up a comprehensive philosophical project to illustrate the conditions of human beings and their place in the world through a careful analysis of our concrete experience. Sartre, thus, became the personification of existentialism. This work is designed to provide a systematic framework and methodological orientation for understanding Sartre's philosophy. The justification for this methodological requirement is to reduce misconceptions and errors concerning Sartre's unconventional positions and philosophical ideas. His philosophy is almost always incurably misunderstood. Thus, a systematic reflection on Sartre's philosophy reveals how the philosophy of existence and freedom evolved from his concept of consciousness.

Keywords: Consciousness, Nothingness, Existence, Freedom, Authenticity

How to Cite?: Dr. Shahidul Hoque, "From Consciousness to Freedom: Understanding Sartre's Existentialism", Volume 14 Issue 11, November 2025, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1483-1487, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR251120204946, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR251120204946