"Existence precedes essence" was put forward by Sartre, which represents the metaphysics of existentialism. This kind of metaphysics is essentially different from the traditional metaphysics of the Western White Party. Traditional metaphysics generally endows "essence" with universal, abstract and formal characteristics, and it is generally believed that essence precedes existence in time.

It is not an absolute and universal law that essence precedes existence. It only applies to things, not to people. Man's existence precedes essence, that is to say, man must exist before creating himself. But existence does not create him, he creates himself in the process of existence.

Extended data existentialism pays attention to character education, advocates that the fundamental purpose of education is the formation of character rather than the mastery of knowledge, regards knowledge as a means to understand the existence and development of "self", and emphasizes that school curriculum must meet the needs of personality completion.

It is argued that the task of moral education is to make students learn the principles that are conducive to understanding the existence and development of "self", so as to be responsible for their own actions.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Existentialist Educational Thought