Perception of French Intellectual - Research Paper Example

On the other hand, the philosophy of existentialism with Jean as its proponent is based on the universal existence and personal decision-making of individuals. It is crucial to note that it stresses that people are entirely at liberty and as such, they hold full responsibility for what they make of themselves. Thus, the two philosophical propositions endeavor to examine the impacts they had on the French intellectual platform as the core mandate of this survey.

The French society, both informed and non-informed, was characterized by a sense of subjugation of the female gender which was always referred to as being second to the ‘other’. This is exemplified under the roles played by the two genders and female scholars’ perception of the prevalent male chauvinism. With a closer reference to Simone’s publication of the Second Sex, it is evident that the first wave of feminism is characterized by female suffrage and property ownership rights (Sartre, 2015). The feministic approach was put forward by Simone's influence. The belief of French intellectuals believes in the inclusion of sexuality, reproduction rights, work affairs, and familial restructuring to be part of the second wave of the feministic agenda. This was mainly aimed at widening the scope of rights that the female gender wanted to enjoy if their struggle for equality would be fruitful thereof.

Additionally, the two philosophical works influenced the determination of the female gender to acquire radical freedom. This kind of radical freedom is further cemented by Jean Jean’s assertion of living in ‘bad faith’. Bad faith here is an assumption that people allow themselves to be ruled by principles that are imposed on them from the outside world. This formed the foundation of the second wave of feminism in which the French intellectuals of the time, concurs to the perception that the “second sex” should not continually be limited to playing subservient roles within a familial setup and working on specific kinds of jobs (De Beauvoir, 2006). This is considered to imply a complete loss of the sense of freedom and authenticity.

Moreover, the intellectual elements of the third wave of feminism within the French atmosphere critique Simone's contribution on her focus on the white middle-class women and their alienated rights ‘perception. Instead, they argue that her works sideline the plight of women in the precincts of color, poverty, disability, and the plight of their women counterparts in the developing countries (Simone, 2015). Thus, the proposition of the theory of existentialism and feminism differs significantly from the perception of women on their female counterparts and as such provides a suitable platform for them to diversify their way of perceiving one another.

In conclusion, the two philosophical works demonstrate a need by the female gender to struggle and ensure that their role in society is equally recognized as that of their opposites. Additionally, the overall influence of the theories is the emancipation of a people to stop referring to women as the “second gender”, a perception that existed in ancient France.