...1st order ethical question asks what to do or be in a certain kind of situation- Sartre uses his answer to give a picture of Human Nature. The cosmic question states: “how can one bring into one’s individual life a recognition of one’s relation to the universe as a whole, whatever that relation is?” Sartre answers this by saying that the cosmic question has no answer, but his sense is that the absence of an answer, even if we aren’t aware of that, is something palpable in our lives and needs to be addressed and we need to cope with it. His idea of human nature is really an exploration of how we should deal with the fact that there is no answer to this cosmic question. For Sartre, to understand the structure of this world as a whole, one has to understand the place consciousness has in the world. He continues to emphasize that our consciousness is what makes us distinct, makes us human. Intentionality, self consciousness, self-determination, and their interconnectedness. Firstly, let me iterate that “intentionality” is being used in a sense NOT related to one of its meanings which means “deliberate”. I am not referring to the “intentional” as “deliberate” in this paper. “Intentionality” is a technical term from Medieval Philosophy. Let’s explore the aspects of intentionality. “Intentionality: a term for the fact that certain relations we stand in have intentional objects” (lecture 4). Sartre believes that intentionality has important ethical significance; it is...
Words: 1967 - Pages: 8
...faith as defined by the principals of Sartre. I will also discuss if I agree with his thoughts. In addition I will debate if I think if a person should always be held accountable for their actions. I will also give some examples that I think will help to illustrate my thoughts and feelings on Sartre’s ideas on complete responsibility and bad faith. Let’s first begin with an explanation of the concept of living in bad faith. I interpret this as a term used by Sartre to describe how we live our lives in an existentialist world without taking the responsibility of our own actions. When I say an existentialist world, this needs some explanation. It is meant as how Sartre describes how we find our self in the world. We are born without any essence (given by God) and we are only born as human being with existence at first. But without any essence, this means we are entirely free, free to act as we wishes, and free to make our own choices. This again means that we must take responsibility for our own actions, for our own choices in life. And this is where bad faith fits in. If you don’t take this responsibility, the responsibility of facing your own actions and yourself in life, you are living in bad faith Sartre is convinced that human responsibility makes sense only if there is no God; otherwise divine foreknowledge and predestination necessarily exclude alternative options and consequently responsibility. The example of bad faith that Sartre gives is the woman on the first date...
Words: 1423 - Pages: 6
...aplicación teórica del existencialismo y el absurdo a la política Cátedra: Profesor: Alumna: Abstract El presente ensayo tiene como objetivo principal hacer un ejercicio teórico deductivo y de aplicación de los postulados existencialistas al plano de la política. En ese sentido trata desde una mirada crítica, evaluar a partir de la filosofía existencialista y el absurdo, el hecho de que en aspectos de la vida privada los gobiernos restrinjan las libertades. A partir de lo expresado y un acercamiento conceptual a los textos de Sartre y Camus nos concentraremos en comprender los conceptos de libertad, el absurdo y la rebelión asociados a la política, entendiendo a esta última como las relaciones de poder existentes entre los seres humanos para resolver problemas sociales, para finalmente dar una respuesta aproximada a la problemática de la libertad en la toma de decisiones que afectan al individuo. Palabras clave: <Existencialismo, J. P Sartre, Albert Camus, política, libertad, poder, absurdo> Hoy en día las políticas públicas y los gobiernos occidentales democráticos han centrado sus esfuerzos en ampliar todo lo referente a las libertades individuales de las personas de las distintas sociedades. La democracia en la forma de la representación y la delegación del poder ha contribuido a grandes avances. No obstante, los intereses individuales por sobre los de la sociedad han implicado una serie de críticas por parte de distintos sectores que acusan a los gobiernos. Frente...
Words: 3251 - Pages: 14
...In his essay Existentialism is Humanism Sartre develops an atheistic moral system. In this paper, I will examine the moral system that Sartre presents. I will attempt to provide the most plausible interpretation of this morality and determine if this moral system can work in a society. I will conclude that there are several problems with Sartre’s account of morality that make it inadequate. And I will try to provide a possible solution to these problems. In order to understand Sartre’s account of morality we should first examine the basis upon which it is developed. Sartre develops his account of morality from a perspective of what he calls a “consistently atheistic” existentialism. The “consistently atheistic” existentialism maintains that God does not exist. This means that there can be no universal moral values, but it also means, and this is very important for Sartre’s account that man’s existence comes before man’s essence. If God does not exist then there can be no universal moral values because such values, at least in the European morality, come from the “commandments of God”. We use these commandments to define good and evil, and upon these two opposing concepts we base our morality. Furthermore if God does not exist then man was not created according to a divine plan, his essence was not defined a priori, and therefore there is no such a thing as “Human nature”. Sartre defines his phrase “existence precedes essence” as applied to man...
Words: 2725 - Pages: 11
...not be immediately obvious at all times, there are always exceptions to the “rules” of being human. In Sartre’s own words, “man exists, turns up, appears on the scene, and only afterwards, defines himself” (Sartre 345). Sartre, based on his belief that humans lack of any essence, is, then, able to conclude that humans are essentially free to make a great deal of choices in life regarding the actions they take. What one becomes, or what can be referred to as one’s identity, is a result of these...
Words: 1500 - Pages: 6
...Both Kierkegaard and Sartre believed that people need to find themselves, therefore for Kierkegaard would agree with Sartre’s quote, “It is better to discover one’s existence in disgust than to never encounter it at all.” This quote is saying that even though you make yourself sick because of the person you are, at least you know who you are unlike many who live in a shadow of what they want to believe. Sartre and Kierkegaard would also disagree with a quote from Descartes, “One must say no to every belief if there is a single doubt about it.” The reason they would both disagree with this is because Kierkegaard believed in a leap of faith about beliefs, and Sartre was just a general doubter of the whole Cartesian method. Yet, there is one thing that Kierkegaard and Sartre do not share and that is the existence of God. Kierkegaard believes that we need God to find ourselves, while Sartre believes that God is dead and that human’s make themselves what they are. Sartre has two kinds of being: (1) Being-in-itself (en soi); and (2) Being-for-itself (pour soi). Being-in-itself is content, it has no frustrations, while Being-for-itself has consciousness and therefore, by nature, is perpetually beyond itself because it is never happy with...
Words: 2215 - Pages: 9
...Metamorphosis is a change in form, structure, or appearance. Change is a major theme throughout Franz Kafka's novella, The Metamorphosis. There is a significant relationship between the title, The Metamorphosis, and the theme of change. Kafka's main character, Gregor Samsa, undergoes many changes and his transformation evokes change in his family. Several metamorphoses take place involving Gregor. First, a physical change occurs, "When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin," and after that happened, Gregor's voice changes from human into the voice of a bug. "That was the voice of an animal," Gregor's manager said, but the words seemed perfectly clear to him. Beginning to see things less and less, Gregor experiences a change in his vision. An example, found on page 29, would be Gregor seeing the hospital less and less distinctly. A mental change in Gregor occurs when he starts not caring about or having no consideration for his family. "It hardly surprised him that he was showing so little consideration for the others; once such consideration had been his greatest pride." This has is a growing problem with him in the story because of the social change that Gregor has experienced from the alienation from the rest of his family. The only thing Gregor had to look forward to at one point was when his sister would come and clean his room or the charwoman would come in and clean. This was such...
Words: 1068 - Pages: 5
...Twentieth Century Philosopher Biography of Jean Paul Sartre University of Phoenix Veronica Byro, Jamie Davis, Janene Long, Michael Menendez, Jorens Pierre PHI/215 October 12, 2011 Kelley Armitage Jean Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher, novelist, and playwright in the 20th Century. Jean-Paul’s key concepts that compromised his beliefs were known as the best philosophy back in the 20th Century. Jean-Paul believed in individual rights which led to Political Philosophy. Sartre’s was a Marxist that set his political economic theories. Jean-Paul’s main ideas, was that every human being are subject to their own rights and deserve to be free; this enhanced his theories. However, Sartre’s work and beliefs made him best known as an Atheist; a believer of his own thoughts. Mankind is responsible for his own actions, stated by Sartre. The Existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre, took the label that people placed on him and two other philosophers Heidegger and Albert; existentialists. Sartre was the only one out of the three to take to this label, because he felt as if he would then be allowed to define it; this was a step closer to him reaching his dreams in philosophy. The main key concept that was analyzed by Sartre is that existence proceeds essence, basically meaning that all human beings are defined by their own actions. Humans outcome on life are based on the choices that we make and all humans...
Words: 1758 - Pages: 8
...controlled and regulated universe, there exist free will amongst each individual provided they acknowledge that their existence comes before their individual essence. This challenges earlier notions of viewing the human condition as a single entity in isolation of its social context. Sartre acknowledges that human existence is intertwined and embedded in social the contexts one happens to exist in. The three modes of being are thus used to explain this dynamic existence in a sense that Sartre establishes the foundations of existentialism from them. Being-in-itself and being-for-itself are the primary modes of being that describes human consciousness. Being-for-others is a dynamic dimension used to explain our acknowledgment that we exist in a world with others and describes our varied approaches towards how we choose to encounter the 'others' in the world. The primary modes of being and the interpersonal dimension of being together provide for the concept of radical dualism that Sartre uses to explore the dynamics of existence (Sartre, 1956, p. 330-333). The existence of others constantly bombards an individual both in mind and body as he/she lives in the world. Radical dualism as described by Sartre evinces the fact that human beings have established that their...
Words: 1645 - Pages: 7
...Jean-Paul Sartre claims that man is completely free. To understand what this statement means, this essay will look at Existentialist philosophy and evaluate the central concepts namely freedom, anguish, abandonment and despair. Through analysing Sartre’s lecture entitled ‘Existentialism and Humanism’ and his book, ‘Being and Nothingness’ this essay will explain what he meant by this statement and will argue that while man is free to a certain extent, he is not completely free. Sartre delivered his lecture in a time of guarded optimism and unrest. The truth about the Nazi power and Auschwitz had just become known and the first atomic bomb had been dropped. People were becoming aware of how evil others could be and were looking for answers. There was a need to re-examine life as they knew it and Sartre, through Existentialism, offered a new approach to life. While Sartre himself later repudiated parts of his lecture it still remains his most widely read writing. (Philosophynow.org, 2016) Sartre used the word, ‘freedom’ which would have appealed to the people of that epoch having just been freed from Nazi occupation, however he says man is condemned to be free as he believed freedom came with great responsibility. The main reason for Sartre’s lecture was to defend Existentialism against its critics who thought it would lead to ‘quietism of despair’. They thought it was contemplative and would discourage people from taking action. Due to the words he used, namely anguish, abandonment...
Words: 2709 - Pages: 11
...SARTRE AND DENNETT ARGUMENTS AGAINST GOD NAME: INSTITUTION: Sartre arguments In the first phase, the philosophical career of Jean Paul Sartre lays emphasis on the construction of a philosophy of existence known as existentialism. Existentialism considers human nature condition as a critical philosophical problem and in which this problem can be shared through ontology (Douglas, & George, 2003). Sartre’s philosophy is explained through his ontology in which he defines two types of reality, which lie beyond our conscious experience: the being of the object of consciousness and that of consciousness itself. He argued that the object of consciousness exists in a non-rational and independent way as in-itself while consciousness is the consciousness of something concerning something else, and it is nigh possible to understand it within one's conscious experience: it exists as "for-itself." A fundamental feature of consciousness is its negative power that human experience nothing less and in which this power is also at work on the self (Douglas, & George, 2003). According to Sartre Jean-Paul (2003), God does not exist and does not exist neither on logical or rational grounds. Be it one believes His existence or not largely depends on the strength of his argument. Many scholars and philosophers commonly feel that Sartre Jean-Paul existentialism is an irrational counterpoint to the enlightenment. Sartre Jean-Paul, at least, gave reasons for his conclusions. He argued that everything...
Words: 504 - Pages: 3
...Jean-Paul Sartre and Existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre . . . the name is one of the most popular in modern philosophy. But who was he? What did he write and what were his works about? What was his role with regard to Existentialism? What is Existentialism, really? What life influences affected the person as whom he became famous? How would Sartre assess various social topics that we face today? What are the problems with Sartre's view of Existentialism and existence in general? These are the questions addressed in the following pages of this brief dissertation.His life Upon reviewing several sources, it is apparent that Sartre was a very disorganized and inconsistent individual. Sartre was obsessed with his intellect to the point of abandon of all else in his life - personal hygiene, honesty, organization, thoroughness, and more. It seems that he felt he was of superior intelligence in comparison to all others who surrounded him. He was not necessarily a great and original thinker, but rather a superb media sensation of sorts. Rather than developing Existentialist thought, he merely promoted it to amazing popularity through his eccentric lifestyle. Although he is best known for his association with Existentialism, it is interesting to note that he denounced its principles later in life and adopted Marxism, which he also later denounced. Jean-Paul-Charles-Aymard Sartre was born in Paris on June 21, 1905, the only child of Anne-Marie Schweitzer Sartre and Jean-Baptiste Sartre. Anne-Marie...
Words: 2585 - Pages: 11
...central theme existence preceding essence is the backbone for most existential thought and that is why it is discussed and understood thoroughly from the beginning of this paper. This leads to the existential thought, absurdity of life. Life being absurd is a component of the existential human condition and this is discussed using The Myth of Sisyphus as a beacon of how absurdity applies to life and happiness. This was written and discussed by Camus in his work The Myth of Sisyphus. Lastly this paper will discuss how others impact the individual or human relationships, discussed by Sartre. His thesis regarding others interactions are that it is Hell. This is the central theme in his play No Exit, and unpacking this existential thought this paper will use his work Being and Nothingness. Human Condition Existence comes before essence; this is a main theme found in existential philosophy. Sartre (1946) states in his lecture “Existentialism is Humanism”, the theme existence precedes essence, is an ideal that all existential philosophers hold true. To understand the existential claim that existence precedes essence it is beneficial to define the opposite, “essence...
Words: 4034 - Pages: 17
...Second PHI1GPI Essay – Question Two Humanity knows of nothing. And according to Jean-Paul Sartre this is what makes humanity unique. In his Being and Nothingness Sartre explores this uniqueness through a series of exercises that, he hopes, will bring forward new ideas of our existence and the meaning of nothingness. His chapter on ‘The origin of negation’ explores the existence of the non-being, a concept that he explains is unique to the human condition. In comparing the natural world with the human; we see that Sartre’s argument can make a clear distinction between the two, presenting a convincing argument that places humanity above anything else in this world. Sartre uses allegories to make a case Humanity is unique in that we ask questions and have expectations of answers. Even the most seemingly simple of questions such as ‘what is that?’ is the sign of a higher level of thinking than had ever occurred before humanity. It is our questioning and expectation, according to Sartre, is our link between our being and non-being. Sartre starts off by stating the everyday experience “does not seem to reveal non-being to us” (Sartre, p.5), that if we take the world on face value non-being shall never be shown. Yet, he goes on to explore how our questioning of the world acknowledges that the world is made up of is and is nots. That objects have perceived essence and qualities, that is; a tree is a tree and is not a car because it shares simular qualities with other trees. When we...
Words: 1189 - Pages: 5
...Jean-Paul Sartre 1905-1980 Sartre questions the radical determinism and materialism of the nineteenth century. Emerging from the World Wars in Europe, Sartre wonders what is wrong with the world. Looking for an alternative to determinism, Sartre will not hearken back to Christian metaphysics, but take Husserl’s intentionality and Heidegger’s concern for Being. Sartre is an atheistic existential writer that is concern with freedom and responsibility. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964 but refused it because it appeared to him as a petty bourgeois honor. Most of the characteristics we associate with Existentialism are from Sartre. His analysis of human nature congealed during the years in France of the German occupation. He found the French collaboration and their refusal to take responsibility for wrongdoing abysmal and to join “The Resistance.” Their excuses included: appeals to innocence: “I didn’t start the war;” appeals to impotence: “What could I as one person do;” appeals to the “herd” mentality: Everyone else did it;” appeals to self-preservation: “I was looking out for myself; appeals to emotions: “I was afraid.” Yet these excuses seemed hollow and hypocritical. Thus, his philosophy can be best summarized as “no excuses!” He famously said harshly, “We always get the war we deserve.” In another way, we always get the life we deserve. Against all such excuses, Sartre argued that we are never determined, that we are “absolutely free.” This...
Words: 542 - Pages: 3
