indeed, everything is permissible if god does not exist, and man is consequently abandoned, for he cannot find anything to rely on - neither within nor without. first, he finds there are no excuses. for if it is true that existence precedes essence, we can never explain our actions by reference to a given and immutable human nature. in other words, there is no determinism - man is free, man is freedom. if, however, god does not exist, we will encounter no values or orders that can legitimize our conduct. thus, we have neither behind us, nor before us, in the luminous realm of values, any means of justification or excuse. we are left alone and without excuse. that is what i mean when i say that man is condemned to be free: condemned, because he did not create himself, yet nonetheless free, because once cast in to the world, he is responsible for everything he does.
