VCE Philosophy (Year 12) · Unit 3 — The Good Life · 13m read

Freedom and Authenticity — Is the Good Life a Life You Choose?

A guiding question in Unit 3 asks to what extent the good life depends on freedom and authenticity. Existentialism offers the boldest answer — and invites strong objections.

Learning objective: Explain and evaluate the view that the good life depends on freedom and authenticity, drawing on existentialist ideas and objections.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can explain "existence precedes essence" and bad faith.
• I can discuss whether an authentic life is necessarily a good life.
• I can evaluate the role of freedom in the good life.

Your life is a book with no outline. For existentialists there is no pre-written plot — you write it, and you are responsible for every page.

Existentialist ideas

JEAN-PAUL SARTRE:
• "EXISTENCE PRECEDES ESSENCE" — humans have no fixed nature or purpose given in advance; we create ourselves through our choices.
• RADICAL FREEDOM — we are "condemned to be free": even not choosing is a choice.
• RESPONSIBILITY — we are fully responsible for who we become.
• BAD FAITH — self-deception that denies our freedom ("I had no choice", hiding behind a role).
• AUTHENTICITY — owning our freedom and living by values we genuinely choose.

FREEDOM matters for many theories: for desire-satisfaction theorists, being able to pursue our own preferences; for liberal thinkers like J. S. Mill, individuality and self-development are part of human flourishing.

Objections

• An AUTHENTIC life might still be cruel or miserable — is authenticity enough for a GOOD life?
• Our choices are shaped by upbringing, culture, class and circumstances — is freedom as radical as Sartre claims?
• Relational views: our identity and goods come partly from relationships and communities, not just individual choice.
• Aristotle would argue there IS a human function and that virtue, not mere choice, makes a life good.

Worked example (Medium)

A student says, "I became a lawyer because my parents expected it — I had no choice." Analyse this using Sartre.

1. Bad faith. Claiming "no choice" denies freedom; the student chose to comply.
2. Authenticity. Acknowledging the choice — and either embracing or changing it — would be authentic.

Answer: Sartre would call this bad faith: the student did choose, so authenticity requires owning that choice and its responsibility.

Common mistakes

• Equating authenticity with doing whatever you feel like Authenticity involves responsible, reflective choice. Fix: Stress responsibility and self-honesty.
• Ignoring constraints on freedom Strong evaluations consider social and material limits. Fix: Discuss how circumstances shape real choices.

Practice questions

1. Sartre’s term for denying one’s own freedom through self-deception is:

   1. Eudaimonia
   2. Bad faith
   3. Ataraxia
   4. Testimony

   (1 marks)

2. To what extent is authenticity necessary for a good life?

   (4 marks)

Summary

• Existence precedes essence; we create ourselves through choices.
• Bad faith denies freedom; authenticity owns it.
• Objections: authenticity may not be sufficient; freedom is constrained.
• Take a clear position on how far freedom matters.