A PHILOSOPHICAL APPRAISAL OF FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY IN JEAN PAUL SARTRE: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NIGERIAN YOUTHS

Abstract

This research examines the philosophical concepts of freedom and responsibility in the existentialist thoughts of Jean-Paul Sartre, with a focus on their implications for Nigerian youths. It explores the Inescapable burden of choice and the responsibility that freedom entails. But how can this radical freedom be embraced by the Nigerian youths who are plagued by societal constraints, peer pressure, and economic adversities? Why do many young people evade their responsibilities, living in what Sartre termed Bad Faith, where they deny their freedom by attributing their failures to external forces? What does it mean for Nigerian youth to take authentic ownership of their lives in a society overflowing with limitations? This research aims to answer these pressing questions by examining Sartre’s existentialist ideas such as Existence Precedes Essence, Bad Faith, Facticity, and Transcendence. The researchers seek to decode how Sartre’s assertion that individuals must create their own essence through conscious choice can be applied to empower Nigerian youths to navigate the realities of life. Employing the hermeneutic approach, the researcher, drawing from Sartre’s existentialist philosophy, proposes philosophical ideas for nurturing authenticity and responsibility among young Nigerians. The findings of this research maintain that Nigerian youths must grapple with the weight of their freedom by rejecting self-deception (Bad Faith) and conformity (Deference to the They). In essence, this research submits that Nigerian youths can only live a well-fulfilled life and transcend societal constraints by embracing their freedom and its accompanying burden of responsibility in an authentic fashion. Sartre’s existentialist philosophy supplies not only a critique of evasion but also a call to action: to live fully, freely, and responsibly in the face of life’s challenges.