If on the other hand, existence precedes essence, and if we grant that we exist and fashion our image at one and the same time,
the image is valid for everybody and for our whole age. ("Existentialism," p. 1168) In the excerpt above, what is the best explanation the phrase "existence precedes essence?"
A. That human nature determines what is morally right or wrong. B. That life is the only intrinsic value. C. That an individual has no human nature prior to his or her existence. D. That an individual has a definate purpose that exists prior to the actually existing individual.
The answer is c. That an individual has no human nature prior to his or her existence.
Sartre said this and he meant that the nature of things (essence) isn't more fundamental than it being (existing). This is the opposite of what a few other philosophers had said before.
Existencialists say that humans don't have an inherent identity, and they find meaning for life as they exist through their consciousness.
