In his defense of existentialism, Sartre first defines the unifying factor of existentialism, (for both atheists and deists), as the belief that existence precedes essence . To illustrate his point he presents the example of a letter opener, an object that possesses a set of qualities that allow it to serve its purpose. He states that he would not have been created without a particular purpose, so his essence precedes his existence. (Sartre) Sartre rejects this idea when it comes to humanity and declares that human beings in themselves have no nature and are defined after coming into the world. This stems from his atheistic worldview, in which the rejection of a higher power leads him to accept the fact that man is the “Creator,” the first to exist, and it is our job to give meaning to the rest of the world. existentialist ideas are mostly closely related to the theory of free will. If existence precedes essence, that is, if there is no purpose for why we are here, this grants humans the free will (and ultimate responsibility) to create themselves, the world, and fill it with meaning. I disagree with Sartre's statement that existence precedes essence, and further that free will can still exist outside these boundaries. My main problem with existentialism stems from Sartre's statement “We mean that man first exists, meets himself, emerges into the world – and then defines himself.” (Sartre) He argues that human existence came first of everything, that we came into existence and then gave meaning to everything. This argument seems to oppose biological science, from an evolutionary and creationist point of view supports the claim that human beings came into being in the course of a mill... middle of paper... precisely because each person adds meaning to science everything they choose to do or believe. Existentialism states that each person's life is in itself an example of how others should live but with a unique essence for each individual, such a standard is impossible to accept. In my opinion, much of Sartre's ideas stemmed from his atheism. Given the absence of a divine creator, he concluded that human beings in themselves they must be the beginning of all things. He rejected the idea that God could coincide with free will. Although existentialism raises some important and relevant points, its core that existence precedes essence is not valid, nor does a different view eliminate the possibility of free will. Works Cited Satre, Jean Paul. “Existentialism is a humanism.” April 30, 2011