On Being and Becoming

On Being and Becoming Plot Summary

Introduction

Have you ever found yourself questioning the meaning of your existence, wondering about your place in the world, or feeling anxious about the choices you face? These profound questions lie at the heart of existentialist philosophy, a rich tradition of thought that addresses the fundamental aspects of human existence. Existentialism offers a unique lens through which we can examine our lives, focusing on individual freedom, authenticity, and the responsibility we bear for creating meaning in what might otherwise seem like an indifferent universe. Rather than providing predetermined answers or rigid systems, existentialism encourages us to confront the reality of our situation: we are finite beings with freedom to choose, yet we exist in a world that offers no inherent purpose or meaning beyond what we ourselves create. This approach to life invites us to embrace our freedom, face our anxiety, acknowledge our mortality, and take responsibility for defining ourselves through our choices and actions. By engaging with existentialist ideas, we can develop a more authentic relationship with ourselves, others, and the world around us, ultimately transforming how we understand what it means to be human and how we might live more meaningfully in the face of life's inherent uncertainties.

Chapter 1: The Foundations of Existential Thought

Existentialism begins with a radical focus on the concrete individual rather than abstract systems or universal principles. Unlike traditional philosophy that often sought eternal truths or objective knowledge, existentialist thought centers on the lived experience of existing individuals who must navigate a world without predetermined meaning. This philosophical approach emerged as a response to the sense that conventional systems of thought—whether religious, scientific, or philosophical—failed to address the most pressing questions of human existence. At its core, existentialism is characterized by several key principles. First is the famous dictum that "existence precedes essence," meaning that humans have no predetermined nature or purpose; rather, we define ourselves through our choices and actions. Second is the recognition of human freedom as both a gift and a burden—we are "condemned to be free," as Sartre put it, with no escape from the responsibility of choice. Third is the confrontation with anxiety, absurdity, and nothingness that arises when we recognize our contingency in an indifferent universe. Finally, existentialism emphasizes authenticity as an ideal—living in accordance with one's freely chosen values rather than conforming to external expectations. The foundations of existential thought can be traced through various philosophical traditions, though it emerged most distinctly in the 19th and 20th centuries. Thinkers like Kierkegaard reacted against Hegel's abstract system, insisting on the importance of subjective truth and passionate commitment. Nietzsche proclaimed "the death of God," challenging humanity to create new values in the absence of divine authority. Phenomenologists like Husserl developed methods for examining consciousness that later existentialists would adapt to explore human existence. These foundations manifest in existentialism's distinctive approach to fundamental aspects of human experience. Rather than seeing death as merely the end of life, existentialists view mortality as a defining feature that gives life its urgency and meaning. Rather than treating emotions like anxiety as psychological problems to be solved, existentialists recognize them as revealing important truths about our condition. And rather than viewing other people primarily as companions or resources, existentialists explore the complex ways in which our relationships with others both enable and constrain our freedom. Consider how these ideas might apply to everyday decisions: when choosing a career, conventional thinking might focus on security or status, but an existentialist approach would ask whether this choice represents an authentic expression of who you want to become. When facing a difficult situation, existentialism encourages us to recognize our freedom to interpret and respond to it, rather than seeing ourselves as passive victims of circumstance. This foundation provides not a formula for living but a framework for confronting life's fundamental questions with courage and clarity.

Chapter 2: Freedom and Responsibility in Existence

Freedom stands as the cornerstone of existentialist philosophy, but it is understood in a far more profound way than mere absence of constraint. Existential freedom refers to our fundamental capacity to choose not only our actions but also the meaning we give to our situation and ultimately who we become. This freedom is not something we possess but rather constitutes our very being—we are freedom. Even in situations of extreme physical constraint, existentialists argue that we retain the freedom to determine our attitude toward our circumstances and to give them meaning. This radical freedom comes with an equally radical responsibility. Since there are no predetermined values or universal moral laws to guide our choices, we bear complete responsibility for creating values through our decisions. As Sartre famously argued, when we choose for ourselves, we simultaneously create an image of what we believe a human being should be. Our choices thus have implications beyond our individual lives—they implicitly propose a vision of humanity. This interconnection between personal choice and universal significance creates what existentialists call "anguish," the awareness that our decisions matter profoundly. The existentialist conception of freedom challenges deterministic views that explain human behavior solely through causes like biology, psychology, or social conditioning. While acknowledging these influences, existentialists insist that we always retain the capacity to transcend them through conscious choice. This transcendence is what distinguishes human existence from the existence of objects, which simply are what they are. Humans, by contrast, are constantly projecting themselves toward future possibilities, never fully coinciding with any fixed identity. This freedom manifests in everyday life through the experience of possibility. When we feel torn between different options, anxious about making the "right" choice, or haunted by roads not taken, we are experiencing our freedom directly. Consider a person contemplating leaving a secure but unfulfilling job—the anxiety they feel reveals both their freedom to choose a different path and the responsibility of creating a new meaning for their life without guarantees of success. Even seemingly small decisions—how to spend an evening, whether to speak up in a conversation—involve this fundamental freedom. The responsibility that accompanies freedom extends to how we interpret our past as well. Existentialists reject the idea that we are simply products of our history or victims of circumstance. Instead, they argue that we choose how to understand our past experiences and what significance to give them in our ongoing self-creation. A difficult childhood, for instance, does not determine who we must become—we remain free to determine how that past will influence our future through how we incorporate it into our self-understanding. Living authentically with this freedom and responsibility requires acknowledging that we have no fixed essence or predetermined path. It means embracing the anxiety that comes with recognizing that nothing but our own choices determines who we are. Far from being a bleak perspective, this view can be profoundly liberating—it opens the possibility of continual self-creation and gives our choices genuine significance in a world where meaning is not given but made.

Chapter 3: Authenticity and the Self

Authenticity represents one of existentialism's most compelling yet elusive ideals—a way of living that fully embraces our freedom and responsibility rather than fleeing from them. At its core, authenticity involves recognizing that we are not fixed entities with predetermined essences but rather beings who continuously create ourselves through our choices. The authentic individual acknowledges this ongoing self-creation and takes ownership of it rather than attributing their actions to external forces, social roles, or supposed natural characteristics. The concept of authenticity emerges in contrast to what existentialists identify as various forms of inauthenticity or "bad faith." Bad faith involves self-deception about the nature of our freedom—either pretending we are more determined by circumstances than we actually are (denying our freedom) or pretending we are pure freedom unaffected by our situation (denying our facticity). Sartre's famous example of the waiter who performs his role too perfectly illustrates this—by identifying completely with his social function, he evades the anxiety of recognizing that he is not essentially a waiter but rather someone choosing to play this role. The authentic self is not something we discover within ourselves like a hidden treasure, but something we actively create through our choices and commitments. This understanding challenges both essentialist views that claim we have fixed natures and social constructionist views that reduce us entirely to external influences. Instead, existentialists propose a dynamic model where the self emerges at the intersection of given circumstances and free choice—we always find ourselves in particular situations, but how we respond to those situations defines who we become. This view of authenticity transforms how we understand everyday experiences. Consider someone who pursues a career because their parents expect it rather than because it reflects their own values—existentialists would see this as inauthentic not because it fails to express some "true inner self," but because it represents a failure to acknowledge one's freedom to choose. Similarly, someone who blames their angry outbursts on "just being that kind of person" is inauthentically evading responsibility for their actions by treating a pattern of choices as if it were an unchangeable essence. The pursuit of authenticity doesn't mean rejecting all social roles or conventional values. Rather, it means relating to them consciously and critically—choosing them freely rather than accepting them passively. An authentic parent, for example, doesn't simply conform to societal expectations of parenthood but thoughtfully determines what kind of parent they want to be. Authentic relationships involve recognizing both one's own freedom and the freedom of others, rather than treating people as fixed objects with predetermined roles. Becoming authentic requires confronting the anxiety that comes with recognizing our freedom and responsibility. It means accepting that we have no predetermined path or essence to guide us, that we must create meaning rather than discover it. This can be deeply unsettling, which explains why inauthenticity is so common—it offers comfort by allowing us to evade the weight of our freedom. Yet authenticity also offers profound rewards: a life lived deliberately, with integrity between our actions and our freely chosen values, and with full acknowledgment of our power to shape who we become.

Chapter 4: Confronting Anxiety, Absurdity, and Death

Existentialists view anxiety not as a psychological disorder to be eliminated but as a fundamental revelation about human existence. Unlike fear, which focuses on specific threats, anxiety arises from our awareness of our own freedom and the absence of predetermined meaning in the world. When we experience that vertigo of possibility—the recognition that nothing prevents us from making radically different choices that would transform our lives—we are encountering what Kierkegaard called "the dizziness of freedom." This anxiety reveals our responsibility for creating ourselves through our choices. Closely related to anxiety is the concept of absurdity—the tension between our human desire for meaning and purpose and the apparent indifference of the universe to these concerns. Camus famously described absurdity as the confrontation between "the wild longing for clarity" in the human mind and "the unreasonable silence of the world." We seek coherence, justice, and purpose, yet the world offers no inherent meaning or moral order. This recognition can provoke a crisis: if nothing ultimately matters, why should we choose one path over another? Why continue living at all? Death represents the ultimate horizon of human existence and occupies a central place in existentialist thought. Heidegger argued that authentic existence requires acknowledging our "being-toward-death"—the fact that death is not merely something that happens at the end of life but a possibility that shapes our entire existence. By confronting our mortality, we recognize the finitude of our possibilities and the urgency of our choices. Death individualizes us—no one can die my death for me—and forces us to confront the question of what makes our finite lives meaningful. These existential realities manifest in everyday experiences. Consider the anxiety that arises when facing major life decisions—changing careers, ending relationships, moving to new places. This anxiety reflects not just practical concerns but our awareness that through such choices we are creating ourselves. Or consider how the death of someone close can trigger not just grief but an existential crisis that forces us to question our own priorities and the meaning of our lives. Even mundane experiences like boredom can reveal the absurdity of existence when we suddenly wonder why we engage in our daily routines at all. Existentialists propose various responses to these challenges. Kierkegaard suggested that anxiety can lead either to despair or to faith—a passionate commitment to meaning despite objective uncertainty. Camus argued that we must acknowledge the absurd without trying to escape it, finding meaning in the very act of revolt against meaninglessness. Heidegger believed that confronting death authentically allows us to grasp our lives as a whole and take responsibility for our existence. What unites these approaches is the refusal to evade these difficult aspects of the human condition through distraction, conformity, or false certainties. Far from being merely negative, confronting anxiety, absurdity, and death can transform how we live. By acknowledging our mortality, we may appreciate the preciousness of each moment. By facing absurdity, we may take responsibility for creating meaning rather than expecting it from external sources. And by embracing anxiety, we may recognize our freedom to shape who we become. These confrontations don't solve the human condition, but they allow us to live it with greater awareness, integrity, and intensity.

Chapter 5: Meaning-Making in a Meaningless World

Existentialism confronts us with a profound paradox: the universe itself offers no inherent meaning, yet meaning remains essential to human existence. Unlike nihilism, which might conclude that life is therefore pointless, existentialism argues that this absence of predetermined meaning actually opens the space for human freedom and creativity. We are not discovering meaning that already exists but actively creating it through our choices, commitments, and projects. This perspective transforms meaning from something given to something made—a continuous creative act rather than a static truth. The process of meaning-making begins with what existentialists call "projects"—the goals, activities, and commitments through which we organize our existence and express our values. A project might be as encompassing as a career or as specific as learning a skill, as public as political activism or as personal as raising a child. What matters is not the content of the project but our relationship to it—whether we have chosen it freely and committed to it authentically. Through our projects, we structure our experience of time (giving the present meaning in relation to future aims) and our relationship to the world (transforming neutral objects into meaningful tools for our purposes). This view of meaning has significant implications for how we understand values. Rather than deriving from divine command, natural law, or universal reason, values emerge from human valuing—from what we choose to treat as important. This doesn't make values merely subjective or arbitrary, as they arise within the context of our shared human condition and our relationships with others. When we commit to values like justice or compassion, we are not simply expressing personal preferences but proposing ways of being human that others might recognize and share. Consider how this approach to meaning transforms everyday experiences. The objects that fill our lives—books, tools, spaces—gain their significance not from inherent properties but from how they relate to our projects. A pen is meaningful to a writer not because of its physical characteristics but because it serves their project of creating. Similarly, relationships become meaningful through the projects we share with others and the ways we choose to value them, not because of predetermined roles or obligations. The existentialist approach to meaning-making is particularly relevant in times of crisis or transition, when established meanings break down. Someone facing a serious illness, losing a loved one, or experiencing major life changes may find that previous sources of meaning no longer suffice. Existentialism suggests that such moments, though painful, offer opportunities to engage more consciously in creating meaning rather than accepting conventional answers. This doesn't minimize suffering but transforms it from meaningless misery to a significant part of one's life story. Ultimately, meaning-making in an existentialist framework involves embracing what Camus called "lucid courage"—the willingness to create meaning while fully acknowledging its contingency. We commit to our projects and values knowing they have no absolute foundation, that we could have chosen differently. This lucidity doesn't undermine meaning but enriches it by making it an expression of our freedom rather than submission to external authority. In a universe indifferent to human concerns, we assert the significance of our choices and thereby transform a meaningless world into a meaningful life.

Chapter 6: Existential Relationships with Others

The existentialist understanding of human relationships departs dramatically from both idealized views of natural harmony and cynical views of inevitable conflict. Instead, existentialists explore the fundamental tension that characterizes our encounters with others: we need others for recognition and meaning, yet their very existence as free subjects can threaten our own freedom. This paradox makes relationships not a secondary aspect of existence but a central arena where we confront both the possibilities and limitations of our freedom. Sartre famously captured this tension in his claim that "hell is other people," though this statement is often misunderstood as simple misanthropy. What Sartre meant was that others have the power to objectify us through their gaze—to reduce us from free subjects to fixed objects with definite characteristics. When someone looks at me, they see not my inner freedom but my external appearance and behavior, which they interpret according to their own projects. This "look" threatens to define me in ways I cannot control, creating what Sartre called "shame"—the experience of being reduced to how I appear to others. Yet existentialists also recognize that we need others to become fully ourselves. As social beings, we develop our sense of self through interactions with others, and we require recognition from others to validate our projects and values. Beauvoir emphasized this positive dimension of relationships, arguing that authentic relationships are possible when we recognize both our own freedom and the freedom of others. Rather than trying to possess or control others, authentic relationships involve mutual recognition that respects each person's transcendence—their capacity to exceed any fixed definition. This existentialist perspective transforms how we understand everyday relationships. Consider friendship—rather than seeing friends as simply sharing interests or providing mutual support, existentialism focuses on how friends recognize each other's freedom and support each other's authentic becoming. Or consider romantic relationships—the challenge is not just finding compatibility but creating a relationship where both partners can exercise their freedom without objectifying each other, where love involves affirming the other's independence rather than trying to possess them. The existentialist view of relationships extends beyond personal connections to our broader social existence. Heidegger noted that we are always already "thrown" into a social world with established meanings and practices that shape our possibilities. We cannot escape this social dimension of existence, but we can relate to it authentically by critically examining social norms rather than passively accepting them. Similarly, political relationships involve the challenge of creating social structures that respect freedom rather than suppressing it—a concern that motivated many existentialists' engagement with political movements. Perhaps most importantly, existentialists recognize that relationships involve risk—opening ourselves to others makes us vulnerable to rejection, misunderstanding, and loss. Yet this vulnerability is inseparable from the possibility of genuine connection. As Marcel argued, authentic relationships require "availability"—a willingness to be present for others without trying to control the encounter. This availability involves faith in the possibility of mutual recognition despite the ever-present risk of objectification or misunderstanding. Through such relationships, we may experience not just connection but a kind of transcendence—moving beyond the limitations of our isolated existence toward shared meaning and mutual becoming.

Chapter 7: Creative Living as Existential Practice

Existentialism ultimately points toward a vision of life as a creative endeavor—not merely in the artistic sense but as the fundamental activity of human existence. If we have no predetermined essence but must create ourselves through our choices, then living itself becomes an art form. This perspective transforms everyday existence from a series of events that happen to us into an ongoing creative project through which we express our freedom and shape who we become. Creative living in this sense is not a luxury for artists but the basic condition of authentic human existence. This existential creativity operates at multiple levels. Most fundamentally, we create ourselves through our choices and actions—each decision contributes to the person we are becoming. Like an artist working with materials that both enable and constrain their creation, we work with our given circumstances, temperament, and historical situation to fashion a life that expresses our values. This self-creation is never complete but continues throughout our existence as we respond to new situations and possibilities. The authentic individual approaches this process consciously, taking responsibility for their self-creation rather than attributing it to fate, nature, or social expectations. Beyond self-creation, existential creativity involves how we engage with the world around us. Through our projects, we transform neutral objects and spaces into meaningful environments that reflect our purposes. A room becomes a studio, a garden, or a sanctuary depending on how we choose to inhabit it. Similarly, we create meaning in time by structuring it according to our projects—transforming abstract chronological time into a lived temporality organized around significant moments, transitions, and anticipated futures. This creative engagement with our surroundings makes the world not just a container for our existence but an extension of it. Consider how this approach might transform ordinary activities. Work becomes not just a means of earning a living but a creative expression of values and capabilities. Relationships become not just given connections but ongoing creations that require imagination and renewal. Even routine activities like cooking a meal or arranging a living space can be approached as creative acts through which we express our way of being in the world. What matters is not what we do but how we do it—with conscious intention rather than mechanical habit. The existentialist emphasis on creativity also extends to how we respond to limitations and difficulties. Rather than seeing obstacles as simply preventing us from living as we wish, we can approach them as creative challenges that call for new responses. Illness, loss, or constraint can become occasions for reimagining our possibilities rather than merely diminishing them. This doesn't romanticize suffering but recognizes our capacity to create meaning even within difficult circumstances—to transform what happens to us into part of our life story. Ultimately, creative living involves embracing what Nietzsche called "amor fati"—love of fate—not as passive acceptance but as active transformation. We cannot choose all our circumstances, but we can choose how to interpret and respond to them, incorporating even difficult experiences into a meaningful life narrative. This doesn't mean constructing false stories that deny reality but creating authentic interpretations that acknowledge both our limitations and our freedom. Through such creative living, we transform existence from something we merely endure into something we actively shape—a work that expresses our unique way of being human in a world without predetermined meaning.

Summary

The existentialist approach to life centers on a profound paradox: we are radically free to create ourselves and our meaning, yet we are always situated within circumstances we did not choose. This tension defines the human condition—we are neither completely determined by our situation nor completely detached from it, but rather beings who must constantly navigate between our freedom and our facticity. By embracing this ambiguity rather than fleeing from it, we can live more authentically, taking responsibility for our choices while acknowledging their limitations. The existentialist vision offers a powerful alternative to both rigid determinism and abstract idealism. It grounds philosophy in the concrete reality of lived experience while opening space for genuine freedom and creativity. In a world increasingly dominated by technological systems and social forces that treat humans as objects to be managed, existentialism reminds us of our irreducible subjectivity—our capacity to question, choose, and create. By approaching life as a creative project rather than a predetermined path, we can transform our anxiety about uncertainty into an appreciation for possibility, our awareness of mortality into an intensity of living, and our recognition of absurdity into a commitment to creating meaning that, though contingent, is nonetheless real and significant for those who share in it.

About Author

Loading...

Jennifer Anna Gosetti-Ferencei

Read more