Final answer:
Sartre views an authentic person as one who embraces their freedom and accepts the responsibility of forging their own essence through actions, resisting the temptation to live in bad faith.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Jean-Paul Sartre, an influential existentialist philosopher, the authentic person is someone who acknowledges their fundamental freedom and responsibility. Sartre believed that humans are condemned to be free; we are thrust into existence without a predefined essence and must then define ourselves through our actions and choices. Authenticity involves recognizing this freedom and the burden of self-definition, rather than succumbing to bad faith, which is the denial of this freedom and shirking of responsibility under the guise of external constraints.
Sartre's existentialism posits that we are beings, conscious entities constantly in the process of becoming, creating our essence through the projects we undertake. Authenticity, then, means actively engaging in this process of self-creation, without seeking solace in deterministic excuses or societal roles that limit genuine freedom. It is through our free, conscious actions that we give meaning to our lives and determine our true essence.