Major Philosophical Domains - Essay Example

Q1. “Existentialism is nothing other than an attempt to draw all the consequences of a coherent atheistic position”. Explain the implication this quotation has on the existentialist understanding of human nature and the nature of value. Answer 1 Modern philosophers like Sartre have broadly defined ‘Existentialism’ as ‘the ways of being free’ and therefore existentialists are people who are free to act as they wish and are responsible for their own actions. There are two types of existentialists: Christian and Atheist. Christian existentialists believe that God is the creator whereas, ‘Atheists’ deny the existence of God but believe in some super element that might have conceived the universe. But both the types of existentialists think that existence precedes essence. In simple words, idea of the object comes first and then, based on that idea, objects are created. Thus, according to Christian existentialist, man is the result or realization of a specific concept of God. Atheist existentialist says that human reality was created that gave identity to man and it was man himself, who defined how and what he will be. Therefore, according to atheist existentialist, since God does not exists, there is no concept of human nature but once man comes into existence, he is, what he makes of himself to be. This is a very interesting concept of human reality. Man, being a subjective reality, can mold himself into any desired image that he can conceive for himself. When a man makes a choice, he needs to be responsible because he is also representative of mankind and indirectly responsible for all men. It means that man cannot transcend human subjectivity. When a man decides to act in certain manner, he does so because he thinks that is the right way to act and that is how he would expect others to act. Similarly when he makes a choice, he opts for something that he accepts is important and which has considerable value for him. One can never deliberately choose evil so it can be correctly interpreted that we always make effort to choose things and actions that are good. Since things can only be good for one if they are considered good by one and all, therefore, it can be said that one’s responsibility becomes greater because it involves all human-being. Indeed, when he says that “Existentialism is nothing other than an attempt to draw all the consequences of a coherent atheistic position”, he implies that man acts in a certain manner because he knows those actions have some definite value for him and therefore, for the mankind. When man defines himself, he is actually defining values which he believes to be good and representative of universal values that are accepted by every human as being good. This is the most important aspect of Sartre’s existentialist theory. He says that existence of God is not the issue because man was nothing before his existence and once he came into existence, he gave a meaning to his own existence by choosing his actions which he himself decided and thought to be good. Hence, human nature is the basic way of conducting and projecting oneself while pursuing transcendental goals, incorporating ‘values’ in one’s actions that are universally accepted. He is the creator of his own destiny and therefore, the consequences of all his actions are what he had desired to be. Q2. Discuss Sartre’s phenomenological ontology. Explain how the being-in-itself and being-for-itself differ. Explain how the ontological status of the being –for-itself accounts for the possibility of human freedom. Answer 2 The phenomenological ontology can only be described broadly in terms of certain concepts and precepts. Sartre’s philosophy is based on the concept that ‘I think therefore, I exist’ and that a man’s actions are based on his own choices, for which, he is totally responsible. Ontology emphasizes that man recognize the fact that because he chooses to act in certain manner, he creates value and thus develops a system of values or ethics. When Sartre talks about Therefore, values or ethics exist because he exists. A man gets to exert his options after he comes into existence. When Sartre talks ‘being-in-itself and being-for-itself’, he is talking about the choices that are either thrust on him or the ones that he can freely make. Prior to his existence, man is not given a choice about his imminent existence that will become a human reality. Hence the fact of his existence is his birth and being-in-itself is that acceptance of that fact in whatever situation. Once he accepts and chooses to live, his integration with the rest of the world is a series of actions that are based on his freedom to choose the course of actions that he interprets in terms of values that he himself decides to be good or bad. Therefore, all his life, man has the freedom of choice. ‘Being-for itself’ is the choice he opts for and whatever being the consequences of his actions, they become his sole responsibilities. Atheistic existentialism gives man freedom to choose in his life and ‘give it a meaning, and value (that) is nothing else but the meaning that one (you) choose’ (49). He is the lawmaker and he is the one who sets goals that he seeks to fulfill in the human universe. His freedom of choice imposes a great responsibility towards the mankind and towards himself. ‘Responsibility of the for-itself is overwhelming since he is the one by whom it happens that there is a world’ (p52). Since he is the author of his own destiny, he cannot blame others for the situations that he may find himself, as a result of his actions. Sartre says that whatever happens to a man, happens only because he has chosen it to be so. As he says ‘there is no innocent victim in war’, had he (man) wanted , he could have opted out of the war or even committed suicide so as to escape being a victim. In whatever situation in life, man is always free to choose and therefore, being for itself accounts for the huge possibilities of human freedom. There are no accidents, no anguish or forlornness that a man has not chosen. Nobody else is responsible for other’s actions and reactions and according to Sartre, it would be sheer foolhardiness to blame others for one’s shortcomings and drawbacks because he has the options to either continue to have them or make them his strength. Every situation is of his own making and hence, it would be senseless to complain. Read More