A study on Nietzsche's and Sartre's views of human and freedom

In the history of philosophy, especially since the Sophists, the question of what a human being is and whether humankind has a nature has been attempted in almost every century and philosopher. We see that attempts have been made to answer the question of what a human being is by generally highlighting a particular faculty (reason, intelligence, spirit, will, etc.). In the history of philosophy, we can trace the roots of this idea back to Plato and Aristotle. Although the concept itself is not mentioned, we can say the same for freedom. Freedom sometimes appears as the freedom to will, sometimes as the freedom to action, and sometimes as the freedom to choose. Of course, the views put forth by each philosopher on human and freedom are important and can serve as a guide for contemporary humanity. However, in the Nietzsche and Sartre studies discussed in this thesis, there is neither a ready-made or completed human being nor a ready-made freedom. Human and freedom can be realized or created, so to speak, through effort and action. Furthermore, for both philosophers, the foundational element in their philosophies is life. Therefore, we can say that freedom is essential for human life. Additionally, for both philosophers, being an individual is also important; humans can only create themselves through themselves and are free beings. This thesis aims to demonstrate these. To achieve the thesis's purpose, the first chapter examines Nietzsche's and Sartre's views on human and, consequently, the fundamental principles of Existentialism. Nietzsche's view of human is first presented, followed by Sartre's. To explain both philosophers' views on human, concepts such as the superman, will to power, nausea, choice, and responsibility, which are prominent in their views and absolutely essential to defining human, are discussed. For Nietzsche, the superman is the closest to the definition of human. For Sartre, a person who feels responsible, experiences inner distress, makes choices, and aims for freedom, knowing that their choices affect others and are affected by their choices, can only be human. The second chapter briefly examines the views of freedom of some prominent philosophers in the history of philosophy. This is to highlight the importance of Nietzsche's and Sartre's views on freedom. The second part of the second chapter examines and compares the views of freedom held by Nietzsche and Sartre. This comparison reveals that for both philosophers, freedom is absolutely essential for human "being human." The thesis concludes that Nietzsche and Sartre examine human within an existential context, rejecting a pre-existing "human nature," and that humans can only create themselves. This requires freedom, and that humans can only create themselves through freedom. This is tantamount to telling modern humans that their own destiny lies in their own hands. This implies that humans can only establish and create themselves through their own choices or efforts.