Analysis of Three the Most Astounding Quotations of Sartre - Essay Example

Full Philosophy June 11, 2008 Existentialist philosophers have come under heavy attack for ostensibly propagating principles that are passive and highly pessimistic. Charges which the accusers believe are in direct conflict with the real facts of humanism. Within the scope of this essay, I will be exploring the integral values that define the whole idea of existentialism as a philosophical school of thought. The thrust of my analysis will be based on the principles espoused by the ace Sartre, whose definite responses to his detractors will be the basis of my claim that the human freedom is indeed intricate by its nature, highly subjective and equally very forceful in influencing not just the actor alone but also external parties as well. From this stance, freedom and responsibility becomes two sides of the same coin that are simply inalienable. Three of the most astounding quotations of Sartre with direct bearings to my thesis will be discussed in detail with the aim of setting a clear pattern that will not impede the coherence of my discourse as the paper advances. They are as follows: A) "existence precedes essence..." [Sartre, 13, also repeated throughout the essay on "Existentialism"] B) "man is condemned to be free." [Sartre, 23, see also 52] Forlornness Anguish Despair Bad Faith Authenticity C) "This absoluteness of choice does not do away with the relativeness of each epoch." [Sartre, 40] A quick analysis of any of the above quotations individually reveals the exclusive attributes of the message being portrayed by Sartre in one breadth and a striking presence of complementary interconnectivity as they converge to give credence to the core values underpinning the existentialist ideology. In the first quote for instance, like Plato he asserts to the principle of the object in man1. Sartre argues that any essence in life will primarily take root from a fore existence. Contingent with the above idea about man's absolute freedom, it can be said that this "freedom" is packaged in a complex paradoxical guise. He proves that freedom without determinism is terribly misplaced. It further does not exonerate the individual from being accountable for his actions and inactions, mindful of the fact that this freedom is highly pervasive because it is able to generate multiplier effects. Its effects are lumped in the various sub-categories of anguish, forlornness, bad faith, despair and authenticity. The third quote illuminates the challenges man is confronted with in his quest to exercise the discretionary power bestowed on him to make choices. His main difficulty has to do with the fact that his free choice also places a burden of responsibility towards other people directly unto his hands. For this reason man's individual choices as contained in his freedom is of universal significance. Global terrorism a twenty first century political and security challenge to the American people can be used as a sufficient illustration to drive home this point. The scale of the problem has left America in a position that makes it impossible for her to claim ownership of the war to overcome all forms of extremism and Semitism. It is for this reason that America is leading the global war against terrorism with the support of her allies as well as international security establishments like NATO. Viewed from another angle, it is a war that the terror organizations and their sponsors are determined not be vanquished, which makes the war a collective all encompassing war. On the question of responsibility, Sartre makes it known that being responsible towards oneself transcends individuality to include an extension into the wider community of the human family. Indeed, America's responsibility in the war is explained by her security and foreign policies and the extent to which these policies have affected other nations positively or negatively prompting extremism. Implicitly or explicitly, the war has had its fair share of criticism which includes among other things the US government mistakenly targeting the Islamic world as the prime breeding ground for terrorism. Genuine Moslem peace lovers are now caught up in the crossfire of the ongoing war on terrorism. It has generated a counter effect in the Middle East an already polarized area with stronger anti-America and Israel sentiments. The constraints put upon the individual by circumstances vis--vis the choice options available sometimes generating a propensity to narrow the choices of the free man along predefined course as he pursues his agenda is what existentialist term as bad faith. It is a kind of freedom that sometimes dictates America as she flexes her muscle to entrench her supremacy in the global circle. A fear driven freedom that is also being used in the ongoing war, by choosing to place American freedom concerns supreme. Forlornness is the feeling emanating from the suspicion that the individual has been abandoned and thus has to rely on his own means to cause a change-a feeling of emptiness in an open vacuum. Forlornness encompasses the related questions of anguish and despair particularly they provide the prelude to reaching this state. It is in congruence with Sartre saying that "man is condemned to be free," in a world that expects him to define himself without a regulatory framework. It is the state in which all options are left open. America's unilateral security policies is a sign of forlornness because, in her quest to guarantee the security of her citizen's she finds herself in the lone position of having to confront a ruthless aggressor. The terror organizations have no confidence in the international community's ability to act as a neutral and credible arbiter on the conflicting issues either, hence their resolve to resort to any means of fighting back irrespective of how crude or unorthodox this means might seem. Conclusion By way of summary, the existentialist stance on the inherent freedoms of man and its relativity is immutable judging from the fact that these factors are still active in our day and age. The individuality of man can therefore not be a credible reason to engage in unilateral actions since the outcome of such actions becomes a shared concern to numerous stakeholders. Read More