Sartre on the Authentic Life

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre AD AD Founded Existentialism Founded Existentialism Many writings Many writings Being and Nothingness (1943) Being and Nothingness (1943) Existentialism is a Humanism (1946) Existentialism is a Humanism (1946) Nausea (1938) Nausea (1938)

Existentialism facticity, Being-in-itself, being-for-itself transcendence, bad faith Pre-reflective cogito, ego Existence precedes essence Existence precedes essence We are condemned to be free We are condemned to be free

Existence and Essence All agree that Essence precedes Existence All agree that Essence precedes Existence Plato Plato Aristotle Aristotle Functionalists about Mind Functionalists about Mind

Existence precedes Essence What makes us us? What makes us us? Locke: the Prince and the Cobler Locke: the Prince and the Cobler Swapping minds swaps identity Swapping minds swaps identity So the mind is our essence So the mind is our essence Pens and chairs Pens and chairs Non minded things are defined by facticity: the set of all facts that are true of them Non minded things are defined by facticity: the set of all facts that are true of them Minded things are transcendent Minded things are transcendent

Existence precedes Essence What makes us us? What makes us us? Pre-reflective Cogito Reflective Cogito The reflective cogito operating on the pre-reflective cogito creates the Ego

Existence precedes Essence What makes us us? What makes us us? Our ego is the essence of us ego follows from reflective cogito reflective cogito follows from pre-reflective cogito pre-reflective cogito follows from our existence Therefore essence follows existence

Being What makes us transcendental? What makes us transcendental? Pens and chairs have being-in-themselves Pens and chairs have being-in-themselves Their existence is exhausted by their facticity Their existence is exhausted by their facticity Not so humans Not so humans Humans have being-for-themselves Humans have being-for-themselves Being-for-itself is produced by nihilating being-in-itself Being-for-itself is produced by nihilating being-in-itself What the ? What the ?

Nothingness Questions are possible Questions are possible Awareness includes negation of the world Awareness includes negation of the world Puts limits on the way the world is – implicitly accepts there are ways the world isn’t Puts limits on the way the world is – implicitly accepts there are ways the world isn’t

Nothingness Absences are possible Absences are possible Where’s Pierre? Where’s Pierre? Awareness includes negation of the world Awareness includes negation of the world You anticipated a world that was not the world You anticipated a world that was not the world

Nothingness Awareness is the character of the for-itself Awareness is the character of the for-itself In both questions and absences the awareness contains the negation of the world In both questions and absences the awareness contains the negation of the world The negation of the world is beyond the facts of the world The negation of the world is beyond the facts of the world What is defined by facticity is bound by the world as it is What is defined by facticity is bound by the world as it is The for-itself transcends mere facticity The for-itself transcends mere facticity

Freedom There are an infinity of possible nihilations There are an infinity of possible nihilations Each depends on our expectations Each depends on our expectations Our expectations are independent of the in-itself Our expectations are independent of the in-itself Therefore nihilation is independent of the in-itself Therefore nihilation is independent of the in-itself Our actions depend on the choices we make Our actions depend on the choices we make Therefore our actions are also free Therefore our actions are also free Sartre is a Compatibilist! Sartre is a Compatibilist!

Responsibility As humans we must have being-for-itself As humans we must have being-for-itself So we must transcend facticity and being-in- itself So we must transcend facticity and being-in- itself So we must have freedom So we must have freedom “We are condemned to be free” “We are condemned to be free” So we must choose So we must choose We alone are responsible for our situation We alone are responsible for our situation

Responsibility 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 with it Too bad: you’re human and you’re stuck with it

Responsibility Failure to acknowledge responsibility is an act of Bad Faith Failure to acknowledge responsibility is an act of Bad Faith Deny transcendence Deny transcendence Behave as if you are bound by the world, Behave as if you are bound by the world, or by your own previous history or by your own previous history Including your own decisions Including your own decisions Deny facticity Deny facticity You are what you do and have decided to do You are what you do and have decided to do

Authenticity It’s up to each of us to choose who to be It’s up to each of us to choose who to be