The term despair, when used by existentialists, refers to the fact that all the
choices we make are based on uncertain information and an incomplete understanding of the world.
When discussing existentialism, people often are referring to Sartre's philosophy,
but generalizations about existentialism should be made with caution, as the term refers to the works of a series of fairly
divergent philosophers and authors, rather than a coherent and solitary world view. The one
proposition that unifies all existentialists is that existence precedes essence, which means that there is no such thing
as human nature or an essential character that is natural or determining for human life.