Sartre’s existential philosophy is very profound, but of course it is also one-sided. It is easy to be attracted by Sartre's profundity without seeing his one-sidedness. Here I only talk about his understanding of freedom.

Sartre’s core thoughts on freedom:

1) Starting from the fact that existence is nothingness, we can deduce human absolute freedom.

Sartre’s most original and exciting point of view is to start from “existence is nothingness” and finally launch “human freedom”. This kind of freedom is not based on strong abilities, but on human existence, on the most fundamental nothingness. It can be said that reducing the concept of existence to its minimum allows us to see the most indestructible freedom.

He said that the structure of human existence is like an empty container. Initially, we only have the container itself of "existence", and there is nothingness in the container. Only when something is filled in, will people be able to Get your own essence. So this essence can change. Just like when something is poured into a cup, we can say it is a glass of water, a glass of wine, a cup of milk or a cup of coffee. The same is true for people. Only when something is poured into it can we obtain its own essence. This is the meaning of the famous saying "To be is nothingness".

Are people destined to succumb to emptiness and nothingness? Of course not. Sartre said that it is in this state that the unique dignity of human beings is born. It is true that existence is nothingness, but this is precisely the basis of the human will to act. It is precisely because existence has no prior essence that we can act freely.

Because existence precedes essence, then there is nothing pre-given to fix or bind us, which means that we can always pursue beyond the "past essence" and "present essence" "future".

In other words, people will never "be" something, but will always be "becoming" something. In this sense, man is free, and even man is freedom itself.

So Sartre said that man is judged to be free, and freedom is man's destiny. The only unfreedom of man is that he cannot escape from freedom. No matter how small you are, no matter how many external restrictions you have, you are fundamentally free.

2) The fate of freedom has a harsh side, and free choice is an extremely heavy burden.

Sartre started from "existence is nothingness" and deduced that people are fundamentally free. A free destiny means that man always has a choice and must make a choice. Free choice is of course a good thing. It means that people have the autonomy to control their own destiny, and therefore gain dignity as a human being.

Why does freedom of choice become a burden? Because choices must have consequences, then who is responsible for the consequences? Sartre said that no one else can bear this responsibility. You have made a choice and you have to bear the responsibility alone.

What does it mean to be solely responsible? It means being your own legislator and taking absolute responsibility for every choice you make. You see, from "existence is nothingness", Sartre derived human absolute freedom, and from absolute freedom, Sartre derived absolute responsibility. This is a very heavy burden.

Milan Kundera's most famous novel is called "The Unbearable Lightness of Being". What is this "lightness of life"? This "lightness" comes from the way of human existence. Human existence has Infinitely unfolding possibilities, not limited by any essence: it is an experience of freedom and lightness. But this light freedom is lonely and heavy, because you have to bear all your choices alone and bear your own life alone, and this can feel overwhelming. As a result, we experience the “unbearable lightness of being.” This title profoundly reveals the spiritual dilemma of modern people.

3) Others are hell.

People can freely control their own lives, which is called human subjectivity in philosophy. I am the subject, which means I have the initiative.

The question is, you are free and I am free, so when we are together, who is the subject and who has the initiative?

Sartre believed that people always have to maintain their own subjectivity, so people will definitely fight for their subjectivity. When everyone gets along with others, they want to turn others into objects in order to maintain their own subjectivity and freedom.

Sartre gave an example: When you are walking on the street and a stranger comes up to you and looks you up and down, you will feel very uncomfortable. Why do you feel uncomfortable? Sartre explained that when someone looks at you, he subconsciously turns you into the object of his observation. In this gaze, he is the leader, and you are just an object watched by him; he wants to realize his subjectivity at the cost of denying your subjectivity and objectifying you. Therefore, you will subconsciously avoid the other person's gaze. But you can also resist. When he looks at you, you look back at him and turn him into an object with your gaze.

In Sartre’s view, this is how people interact, always fighting for subjectivity. Even in love there is no exception. Sartre said that the romantic love we imagine is a scam. The experience of love that is independent of each other and becomes one is just an illusion at the beginning. Love is also full of conflicts and struggles for subjectivity, and ends up being either masochistic, taking pleasure in shame, or sadistic, taking pleasure in guilt.

The common plot of love is like this. One person pursues another person, pleases and caters to the other person, becomes what the other person likes, and loses his or her subjectivity. The one being pursued, on the other hand, must work hard to show their charming charm and gain their own subjectivity through the dedication of the pursuer. In such a relationship, the more passionate the love, the closer both parties are to masochism and sadism.

Sartre also has a very wonderful saying. He said what is hatred. Hatred is actually your recognition of other people's freedom. Think about it, would you hate a cup or a chair? Hatred can only be directed at people, because people have freedom, and only people can do something to you out of their own consciousness. In the actions of others as subjects, you are reduced to an object and a thing, and your subjectivity is denied. . So you resent because you don't want to be treated like an object. In this sense, hating means that you recognize the subjectivity of the other person and the freedom of the other person.

Sartre believes that we live in a world where others exist, and everyone is free, but it is impossible for us to realize the ideal of mutual freedom, because everyone must Realize your own subjectivity. In this sense, Sartre is a pessimist. He does not believe in the kind of mutual recognition and equal respect between subjects that liberalism longs for.