What is Bad Faith
Jean-Paul Sartre uses the term bad faith to describe a form of self-negation—a way in which a person lies to themselves by pretending they have no freedom, no choice, and no responsibility for how they live. In bad faith, someone convinces themselves that their situation defines them completely, and therefore they cannot act differently.
This self-deception shapes behavior:
- “I have no other option.”
- “This is just my fate.”
- “Someone like me can’t choose otherwise.”
These are the internal narratives of bad faith.
I will try to explain with the example from The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson.
Kaladin observes that many members of Bridge Four live in bad faith: they believe they are born to be slaves, destined to die carrying bridges, and therefore there is no point caring for themselves or one another. They give up their agency—refusing to remember names, refusing to savor soup, refusing to imagine a future. In Sartre’s terms, they deny their own freedom by collapsing into the identity the world has imposed on them.
Bad faith does not mean they are wrong about their suffering—Sartre never denies external constraints. What he insists is that even in terrible circumstances, humans still possess some degree of inner freedom. When the bridge crew begins reclaiming small choices—learning names, protecting each other, finding dignity—they begin to move from bad faith toward authenticity.
And that’s exactly Sartre’s point:
Bad faith is surrendering your freedom; authenticity is reclaiming it.
Where You Can Find This Book
Being and Nothingness, initially written by Jean-Paul Sartre and translated by Hazel E. Barnes. I borrowed a book a long time ago, but have been using my original research notes or someone’s interpretation. You can read this book from the following link.
Excellent books from Brandon Sanderson.