Sartre's philosophy of why you hate people (Sartre's No Exit explained)

"Hell is other people" - one of the most famous phrases from a brilliant play by Jean-Paul Sartre - No Exit.

In No Exit. Sartre examines an idea of Hell with no torture devices, and no demons. Hell consists of a living room and two people who you will inevitably grow to hate, and who will drive you insane for eternity.

This is one of the most fascinating explorations of how we interact with other people I have ever read, and ultimately goes a long way to showing why we often hate people for reasons we do not understand.

There is a typo at 07:55 where "Sartre" is spelt "Satra". Sorry about this. I missed it when proof-watching the video.

00:00 Hell is other people
01:09 Human hypocrisy
03:14 The gaze of the other
05:37 Others are essential
08:27 The role of ego

[Raul-nvrr]

‘So perhaps hell is other people, but hell is also ourselves when we mistake our egos for our souls’… extremely well put! 😊

[Dr_Wrong]

So basically, socialization is believing others will hurt you for not "acting" a certain way, then driving yourself insane following impossible criteria, trying to avoid being attacked by others.

[karenlp]

I used to worry about what other people thought of me. Nowadays, while I always try to be considerate of other people, it doesn’t bother me if they don’t like me and are unpleasant towards me. No one has the power to hurt you emotionally unless you give it to them. Once I realised that I felt like a weight had been lifted from me. I’ve never been happier.

[peacewillow]

luckily, i was bullied, picked on and made fun of pretty badly as a child, by family, schoolmates, churchmates,
but my parents taught me to "consider the source" and not take their words to heart.
i was taught that my value was within, not outside of me, and i didn't need anyone's "validation" or approval to justify my existence.
having said that, i probably do avoid putting myself out there more because, well, rejection and abuse hurt, whatever the source. 🥀

[theDiReWlf]

The only problem I have in life is being forced to be around people 40 hours a week.

[JustinaJayne]

This is the core of why narcissistic abuse causes such issues when it’s from childhood; the toxic parent raises the child as a hell mirror.

[alannothnagle]

Thanks, this was excellent. I actually read No Exit way back in college, but I didn‘t grasp its significance at the time. Eventually, I have attained relative peace of mind by largely no longer caring what other people think of me. I do care somewhat, of course, since not caring at all is a fast track to full-blown psychopathy. What you come to realize is that few people really know you, and far fewer even notice, let alone care, what you think and do. I focus on pursuing my own goals and being decent towards others, and I find that to be a healthy way to live.

[pointlessNYC]

I am at my happiest when I am away from people, free to be whatever version of myself I’m feeling, without the pressures of showing up in character in every other environment and still not being treated with common decency or compassion. Hell is definitely earth with other humans.

[urfknout]

So crazy I just heard “hell is other people” for the first time like two days ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it since, it’s like this video was made for me

[normapadro]

I learned since I was a kid never to depend on my environment for aproval. Never depend on happiness from others. Never get attached, or believe, trust. I learned that I had to accept, and change my oppinion of myself to survive. I also learned who is truthful, and who was a hypocrite towards me.

[OMGducy]

This resonated with me. Clear and conscise presentation. I like your use of zoom to create action, it keeps me more engaged. I also like the use of captions, it makes it easier to follow and process the information.

[learningisfun]

I really like your conclusions about the suffering we cause ourselves due to our ego. There is universal truth here. We must remember to never take ourselves too seriously; like a famous person should never believe their hype. Maybe humility is the best route to happiness.

[thegoldenfox]

“No exit” is my favorite play/short story ever (if I had to pick one) because I could’ve saved myself so much grief and “trauma” if I only could’ve shaken my deep-seated desire to be liked by others sooner 💀

[flowinsounds]

I have autism. Most of the social stuff you talk about, the need for others, doesn't speak to me at all. It was the feeling of hopelessness that got to me, that this is the world that I live in, full of people like that, and I was alone, being other.
"hell is other people" is the name of the folder where I keep client details

[minusus]

--you are who you think you are--
--you are who they think you are--
you are who you think they think you are

[lowwastehighmelanin]

Someone ACTUALLY examining Sartre?? WHOA. Incredible. many people leave it at the phrase in the title and stop there, missing the part where you're meant to overthink in philosophy to get to the good stuff. Really enjoyed this!

[itsJustJayMusic]

Heard about No Exit before, but after this analysis I really wanna read it. It seems so good. And you're speculation at the end was top notch. Great Job buddy!

[brinistaco]

If hell is really a perception inside our minds, a fear of what others think of us, then it must be true that we can also perceive a heaven inside our minds as well. For me, neither is a constant and largely depends on my actions, healthy or unhealthy, throughout the day. An unreasonable expectation that we will always be in one state or another can also be a kind of hell. Insightful, succinct video, thank you.

[GeneSavage]

Ironically, I wouldn't care what I look like if I didn't have to be around other people...

This video is giving me a LOT to chew on today. I've watched it three times: once at normal speed, once at 3/4 speed, and once at 1 & 1/4 speed. I catch something new each time.

I have the feeling I need to see this play.

[Haywood.Yablomee]

I completely stumbled onto Sartre by writing about authenticity, which led me to existentialism 😅. I also came to a similar thoughts which I titled as “Beyond Pleasure and Pain”, linking the duality and hypocrisy with the ego. I think it’s easily summed up in the phrase “if we are free, then we will thrive. If we are told we are free, then we will self-destruct”. I’m glad I was recommended this video and took the time to listen. Thanks it was enjoyable 👍