Existentialism's focus on subjectivity, on being a man is in a sense a reaction to this. A clear example is the work of Kierkegaard reacting to that of Hegel. By way of discovering whether this is the case some of the most important of the existential thinkers work will be briefly critically examined. Sartre's analysis will be examined from the point of view of his work on the structure of being. It is the inert, ' blind' being of objects.
Human consciousness is 'no-thing' but only always conscious of something.
For example the man that says that 'l am a coward' is attempting to be a thing. Sartre says yesterday you were a coward, tomorrow you may be brave, but you are always in the process of becoming. Sartre uses to describe the situation whereby a man refuses to recognise his freedom through attempting to be a' thing'. Similarly, Sartre has disdain for all deterministic philosophies such as behaviourism or psychoanalysis. One must take responsibility for ones past actions but one cannot use them as an excuse for ones action in the present.