French existentialism is a philosophical movement that emerged in mid-20th century France, asserting that individual human beings create meaning and essence through lived experience, personal responsibility, and authentic choice in an inherently absurd universe. Rather than accepting predetermined purpose or divine design, this school of thought places the burden of meaning-making squarely on each person’s shoulders.
This matters because French existentialist thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus didn’t just theorize about existence from ivory towers. They lived through the Nazi occupation …
