Existential humanism is a concept that can be understood in several different ways. Sartre said Existentialism is a humanism because it expresses the power of human beings to make freely-willed choices, independent of the influence of religion or society. Kierkegaard suggested that the best use of our capacity for making choices is to freely choose to live a fully human life that incorporates traditional human structures such as marriage. Camus

Camus

-People:* Albert Camus, French author, philosopher and journalist* Charles Étienne Louis Camus, French mathematician* Jean-Pierre Camus, French bishop and writer* Louis-Auguste Camus de Richemont, French military chief and baron d'Empire...

, in his book The Plague

The Plague

The Plague is a novel by Albert Camus, published in 1947, that tells the story of medical workers finding solidarity in their labour as the Algerian city of Oran is swept by a plague. It asks a number of questions relating to the nature of destiny and the human condition...

, suggests that some of us may choose to be heroic, even knowing that it will bring us neither reward nor salvation, and Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir

Simone-Ernestine-Lucie-Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir, often shortened to Simone de Beauvoir , was a French existentialist philosopher, public intellectual, and social theorist. She wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography in several volumes, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and...

, in her book The Ethics of Ambiguity

The Ethics of Ambiguity

The Ethics of Ambiguity is Simone de Beauvoir's second major non-fiction work, nearly twice as long as her first, Pyrrhus and Cineas...

, argues that embracing our own personal freedom requires us to fight for the freedoms of all humanity.

External links

• Christian Existential Humanism
• Kierkegaard's Narrative: An existential humanist plot outline
• Existentialism Is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre
• Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir