Sartre on the Authentic Sartre on the Authentic Life Life
Dec 27, 2015
Sartre on the Authentic Sartre on the Authentic LifeLife
Jean-Paul SartreJean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard SartreJean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre 1905-1980 AD1905-1980 AD Founded ExistentialismFounded Existentialism Many writingsMany writings
Being and Nothingness Being and Nothingness (1943)(1943) Existentialism is a HumanismExistentialism is a Humanism (1946) (1946) Nausea Nausea (1938) (1938)
ExistentialismExistentialism
facticity,facticity,
Being-in-itself, being-for-itselfBeing-in-itself, being-for-itself
transcendence, bad faithtranscendence, bad faith
Pre-reflective cogito, egoPre-reflective cogito, ego
Existence precedes essenceExistence precedes essenceWe are condemned to be freeWe are condemned to be free
Existence and EssenceExistence and Essence
All agree that Essence precedes All agree that Essence precedes ExistenceExistence PlatoPlato AristotleAristotle Functionalists about MindFunctionalists about Mind
Existence precedes Existence precedes EssenceEssence
What makes us us?What makes us us? Locke: the Prince and the CoblerLocke: the Prince and the Cobler
Swapping minds swaps identitySwapping minds swaps identity So the mind is our essenceSo the mind is our essence
Pens and chairsPens and chairs Non minded things are defined by Non minded things are defined by facticityfacticity: :
the set of all facts that are true of themthe set of all facts that are true of them Minded things are Minded things are transcendenttranscendent
Existence precedes Existence precedes EssenceEssence
What makes us us?What makes us us?
Pre-reflective CogitoPre-reflective Cogito
Reflective CogitoReflective Cogito
The reflective cogito operating on the pre-The reflective cogito operating on the pre-reflective cogito creates the reflective cogito creates the EgoEgo
Existence precedes Existence precedes EssenceEssence
What makes us us?What makes us us?
Our ego is the essence of usOur ego is the essence of us
ego follows from reflective cogito ego follows from reflective cogito
reflective cogito follows from pre-reflective reflective cogito follows from pre-reflective cogitocogito
pre-reflective cogito follows from our pre-reflective cogito follows from our existenceexistence
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Therefore essence follows existenceTherefore essence follows existence
BeingBeing
What makes us transcendental?What makes us transcendental? Pens and chairs have Pens and chairs have being-in-being-in-
themselvesthemselves Their existence is exhausted by their Their existence is exhausted by their
facticityfacticity Not so humansNot so humans
Humans have Humans have being-being-forfor-themselves-themselves Being-for-itself is produced by Being-for-itself is produced by nihilatingnihilating
being-in-itselfbeing-in-itself What the ?What the ?
NothingnessNothingness
Questions are possibleQuestions are possible Awareness includes negation of the Awareness includes negation of the
worldworld Puts limits on the way the world is – Puts limits on the way the world is –
implicitly accepts there are ways the implicitly accepts there are ways the world isn’tworld isn’t
NothingnessNothingness
Absences are possibleAbsences are possible Where’s Pierre?Where’s Pierre? Awareness includes negation of the Awareness includes negation of the
worldworld You anticipated a world that was not You anticipated a world that was not
the worldthe world
NothingnessNothingness
Awareness is the character of the for-itselfAwareness is the character of the for-itselfIn both questions and absences the In both questions and absences the awareness contains the negation of the worldawareness contains the negation of the worldThe negation of the world is beyond the facts The negation of the world is beyond the facts of the worldof the worldWhat is defined by facticity is bound by the What is defined by facticity is bound by the world as it isworld as it is
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The for-itself transcends mere facticityThe for-itself transcends mere facticity
FreedomFreedom
There are an infinity of possible nihilationsThere are an infinity of possible nihilations Each depends on our expectationsEach depends on our expectations Our expectations are independent of the in-Our expectations are independent of the in-
itselfitself Therefore nihilation is independent of the in-Therefore nihilation is independent of the in-
itselfitself Our actions depend on the choices we makeOur actions depend on the choices we make Therefore our actions are also freeTherefore our actions are also free
Sartre is a Compatibilist!Sartre is a Compatibilist!
ResponsibilityResponsibility
As humans we must have being-for-As humans we must have being-for-itselfitself
So we must transcend facticity and So we must transcend facticity and being-in-itselfbeing-in-itself
So we must have freedomSo we must have freedom ““We are condemned to be free”We are condemned to be free”
So we must chooseSo we must choose We alone are responsible for our We alone are responsible for our
situationsituation
ResponsibilityResponsibility
Who wants to be so responsible?Who wants to be so responsible? Don’t want to take responsibility?Don’t want to take responsibility? Too bad: you’re human and you’re stuck Too bad: you’re human and you’re stuck
with itwith it
ResponsibilityResponsibility
Failure to acknowledge Failure to acknowledge responsibility is an act of responsibility is an act of Bad FaithBad Faith Deny transcendenceDeny transcendence
Behave Behave as if as if you are bound by the world, you are bound by the world, or by your own previous historyor by your own previous history Including your own decisionsIncluding your own decisions
Deny facticityDeny facticity You are what you do and have decided to doYou are what you do and have decided to do
AuthenticityAuthenticity
It’s up to each of us to choose who It’s up to each of us to choose who to beto be