In philosophy, “existence precedes essence”, at the most basic level of understanding, is based on the idea of existence without essence. For humanity (Note: the concept can be applied at the individual level as well), it means that humanity may exist, but humanity's existence does not mean anything at least at the beginning. The value and meaning of this existence----or essence----is created only later. As a result, the idea is an important concept in atheism. It directly and strongly rejects the traditional religious beliefs that a human has an essence (the soul) and that human existence has inherent meaning. For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ... The 18th-century French author Baron dHolbach was one of the first self-described atheists. ... The soul, acording to many religious and philosophical traditions, is a self-aware ethereal substance particular to a unique living being. ...
The concept is first formulated by Jean-Paul Sartre and is a key foundational concept of Existentialism. Simone De Beauvoir uses this concept to develop the idea that "one is not born but becomes a woman" in her feminist existentialism. Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (June 21, 1905 – April 15, 1980), normally known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre (pronounced: ), was a French existentialist philosopher, dramatist and screenwriter, novelist and critic. ... Existentialism is a philosophical movement that deals with human freedom. ... Beauvoir redirects here. ...
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