Week goals:
1. Introduced to the aims of the course and the idea of 'classical existentialism' as an ethical
theory
2. Started to understand the meaning and importance of freedom in Sartre's philosophy
3. Understood why Sartre claims that 'existence precedes essence'
4. Started to consider some questions/objections that Sartre's philosophy seems to raise and
developed skills in critical argument during seminars
What is existentialism? – Plato Stanford Encyclopaedia
Often viewed as a historically placed event that emerged after WW2, the Nazi death
camps, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki àall have created
circumstances for what has been called the existentialist movement àa generation
was forced to experience death, freedom and meaninglessness
Most popular voices of this movement: Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and
compatriots: Albert Camus, Gabriel Marcel, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Conceptual
work was laid earlier in the 19th century by pioneers like Soren Kierkegaard and
Friedrich Nietzsche
Existentialism is captured in films by:
Ingmar Bergman
Michelangelo Antonioni
Jean-Luc Goddard
Akira Kurosawa
Terrence Malick
Its moods are expressed in paintings by:
Edvard Munch
Marcel Duchamp
Pablo Picasso
Its engagement with the relationship between faith and freedom is shown through
lectures and writings of:
Karl Barth
Paul Tillich
Martin Buber
The word: existentialism was coined by Marcel in 1943
Classical existentialism:
Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986)
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980)
Embarked upon the ‘existentialist offensive’ in 1945
‘Classical’ existentialism is an ethics or an ethical theory
Public talks, radio, newspaper interviews – tried to promote existentialism ideas
Felt existentialism was a way of responding to the crisis that enveloped European
culture
Existentialism is not just a tool of intellectual reflection – for them philosophy was a
tool to help us realise how we should live – how should we confront political chaos
“Existentialism: the ethical theory that we should treat the freedom at the core of
human existence as intrinsically valuable and the foundation of all values” – Webber
– book chapter is on canvas
“…no limits to my freedom can be found except freedom itself or, if you prefer, that
we are not free to cease being free” (Being and Nothingness)
Existentialism is grounded on two fundamental claims:
, 1. That human existence entails a freedom that cannot be curtailed (reduced) by
circumstance – it is important
2. That this freedom has an intrinsic value from which all other values are derived –
other things are important natural world, art, justice – these only have value because
human freedom has value
During covid for example, we felt like we had no freedom because we couldn’t go
and see our friends, or come into school, etc. however, we will have misunderstood
what the existentialists mean by freedom if we understand it in that kind of way
For Sartre and de Beauvoir, freedom is not something that can be enlarged or
diminished – nothing to do with the rule of law/social convention. For Sartre,
whatever situation you are in, you are completely free – “…no limits to my freedom
can be found”
Use freedom in an unfamiliar way – radical idea of freedom
All human beings are free and this freedom cannot be constrained, limited, or
expanded by circumstance, law, or society. Sartre says – even a prisoner who is
chained to the walls of their cell are free
Sartre and ‘Existentialism is a Humanism’
Context:
Sartre:
Sartre was born in Paris in 1905 and spent most of his life there
Drafted into the French army in 1939 and spent a year as a prisoner of war after the
invasion of France
For the rest of the war, Sartre continued working on his philosophy
He was a supporter of the French Communist Party and an admirer of the USSR
before the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1955 (this event seemed to inspire him to
develop a more explicitly political philosophy)
A transcript (like a public lecture) of a talk given in October 1945 by Sartre as part of
the ‘existentialist offensive’ – where Simone and Jean-Paul are trying to defend
existentialism
He is trying to convince and appeal to a hostile audience – there are a lot of
controversy towards SDB and JPS – Christians are attacking them for being atheistic.
Communists are attacking for being overly individualistic and not following the
theoretical models of Marx. More broadly criticised for being pessimistic at a time
when France is at a time desperately needing positive
Doesn’t provide an introduction to ‘classical’ existentialism but doesn’t really do
justice to his philosophy
“Existence precedes essence”
What all these people share is their belief that “existence precedes essence” or
“subjectivity must be our point of departure”
When we talk about the essence of something we are talking about what kind of thing
something is
When we talk about the existence of something we are talking about that a thing is
Lots of different kinds of pen, but they all have something in common, an essence.
The pen exists
Sartre is saying that our existence comes before our essence
Before we make a pen, we want something to fulfil the purpose to write, we design it
with that purpose in mind. The essence of the pen exists with design, a purpose, a plan
– before the actual pen exists. Pens exist because people want to write. There is a
purpose already in mind
1. Introduced to the aims of the course and the idea of 'classical existentialism' as an ethical
theory
2. Started to understand the meaning and importance of freedom in Sartre's philosophy
3. Understood why Sartre claims that 'existence precedes essence'
4. Started to consider some questions/objections that Sartre's philosophy seems to raise and
developed skills in critical argument during seminars
What is existentialism? – Plato Stanford Encyclopaedia
Often viewed as a historically placed event that emerged after WW2, the Nazi death
camps, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki àall have created
circumstances for what has been called the existentialist movement àa generation
was forced to experience death, freedom and meaninglessness
Most popular voices of this movement: Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and
compatriots: Albert Camus, Gabriel Marcel, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Conceptual
work was laid earlier in the 19th century by pioneers like Soren Kierkegaard and
Friedrich Nietzsche
Existentialism is captured in films by:
Ingmar Bergman
Michelangelo Antonioni
Jean-Luc Goddard
Akira Kurosawa
Terrence Malick
Its moods are expressed in paintings by:
Edvard Munch
Marcel Duchamp
Pablo Picasso
Its engagement with the relationship between faith and freedom is shown through
lectures and writings of:
Karl Barth
Paul Tillich
Martin Buber
The word: existentialism was coined by Marcel in 1943
Classical existentialism:
Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986)
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980)
Embarked upon the ‘existentialist offensive’ in 1945
‘Classical’ existentialism is an ethics or an ethical theory
Public talks, radio, newspaper interviews – tried to promote existentialism ideas
Felt existentialism was a way of responding to the crisis that enveloped European
culture
Existentialism is not just a tool of intellectual reflection – for them philosophy was a
tool to help us realise how we should live – how should we confront political chaos
“Existentialism: the ethical theory that we should treat the freedom at the core of
human existence as intrinsically valuable and the foundation of all values” – Webber
– book chapter is on canvas
“…no limits to my freedom can be found except freedom itself or, if you prefer, that
we are not free to cease being free” (Being and Nothingness)
Existentialism is grounded on two fundamental claims:
, 1. That human existence entails a freedom that cannot be curtailed (reduced) by
circumstance – it is important
2. That this freedom has an intrinsic value from which all other values are derived –
other things are important natural world, art, justice – these only have value because
human freedom has value
During covid for example, we felt like we had no freedom because we couldn’t go
and see our friends, or come into school, etc. however, we will have misunderstood
what the existentialists mean by freedom if we understand it in that kind of way
For Sartre and de Beauvoir, freedom is not something that can be enlarged or
diminished – nothing to do with the rule of law/social convention. For Sartre,
whatever situation you are in, you are completely free – “…no limits to my freedom
can be found”
Use freedom in an unfamiliar way – radical idea of freedom
All human beings are free and this freedom cannot be constrained, limited, or
expanded by circumstance, law, or society. Sartre says – even a prisoner who is
chained to the walls of their cell are free
Sartre and ‘Existentialism is a Humanism’
Context:
Sartre:
Sartre was born in Paris in 1905 and spent most of his life there
Drafted into the French army in 1939 and spent a year as a prisoner of war after the
invasion of France
For the rest of the war, Sartre continued working on his philosophy
He was a supporter of the French Communist Party and an admirer of the USSR
before the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1955 (this event seemed to inspire him to
develop a more explicitly political philosophy)
A transcript (like a public lecture) of a talk given in October 1945 by Sartre as part of
the ‘existentialist offensive’ – where Simone and Jean-Paul are trying to defend
existentialism
He is trying to convince and appeal to a hostile audience – there are a lot of
controversy towards SDB and JPS – Christians are attacking them for being atheistic.
Communists are attacking for being overly individualistic and not following the
theoretical models of Marx. More broadly criticised for being pessimistic at a time
when France is at a time desperately needing positive
Doesn’t provide an introduction to ‘classical’ existentialism but doesn’t really do
justice to his philosophy
“Existence precedes essence”
What all these people share is their belief that “existence precedes essence” or
“subjectivity must be our point of departure”
When we talk about the essence of something we are talking about what kind of thing
something is
When we talk about the existence of something we are talking about that a thing is
Lots of different kinds of pen, but they all have something in common, an essence.
The pen exists
Sartre is saying that our existence comes before our essence
Before we make a pen, we want something to fulfil the purpose to write, we design it
with that purpose in mind. The essence of the pen exists with design, a purpose, a plan
– before the actual pen exists. Pens exist because people want to write. There is a
purpose already in mind
