Editing Existentialism (section)

=== Sartre's philosophy ===
Many critics argue Sartre's philosophy is contradictory. Specifically, they argue that Sartre makes metaphysical arguments despite his claiming that his philosophical views ignore [[metaphysics]]. [[Herbert Marcuse]] criticized ''Being and Nothingness'' for projecting anxiety and meaninglessness onto the nature of existence itself: "Insofar as Existentialism is a philosophical doctrine, it remains an idealistic doctrine: it [[hypostatic abstraction|hypostatizes]] specific historical conditions of human existence into ontological and metaphysical characteristics. Existentialism thus becomes part of the very ideology which it attacks, and its radicalism is illusory."<ref name="Marcuse1972">Marcuse, Herbert. "Sartre's Existentialism". Printed in ''Studies in Critical Philosophy''. Translated by Joris De Bres. London: NLB, 1972. p. 161.</ref>

In ''Letter on Humanism'', Heidegger criticized Sartre's existentialism:

{{blockquote|Existentialism says existence precedes essence. In this statement he is taking ''existentia'' and ''essentia'' according to their metaphysical meaning, which, from Plato's time on, has said that ''essentia'' precedes ''existentia''. Sartre reverses this statement. But the reversal of a metaphysical statement remains a metaphysical statement. With it, he stays with metaphysics, in oblivion of the truth of Being.<ref>Martin Heidegger, "Letter on Humanism", in ''Basic Writings: Nine Key Essays, plus the Introduction to ''Being and Time'' '', trans. David Farrell Krell (London, Routledge; 1978), p. 208. [https://books.google.com/books?id=kVc9AAAAIAAJ&dq=But+the+reversal+of+a+metaphysical+statement+remains+a+metaphysical+statement.+With+it%2C+he+stays+with+metaphysics%2C+in+oblivion+of+the+truth+of+Being.&pg=PA208 Google Books].</ref>}}