A reflection of Being and Nothingness and Woman as the Other - Essay Example

Insert Section I: A reflection of “Being and Nothingness” and “Woman as the Other” On the one hand, “Being and Nothingness” is a publication authored by Jean-Paul Sartre. I think the philosophy is premised on the fact that the existence of an individual is more important than the worth of the person. The philosopher’s overriding factor in penning the book was to underscore the fundamental liberty of the human person, going against determinism. Sartre philosophies presented in the book were derived from Martin Heidegger; the latter provided an ontological analysis through the perception and approach of Husserlian principle. In his investigation in Being and Nothingness, Sartre presents man as a being vexed by a dire need to achieve contentment. I think this is what Sartre refers to as the supernatural being, which spiritual organizations recognize with deep esteem. I believe the intertwining of the issue in the material essence of an individual’s being, and in the physical environment enables people locate themselves within being. In light of this, consciousness forms the basis of conceptualizing likelihoods, and prompts their appearance, or elimination. On the other hand, Simone de Beauvoir’s philosophy is related to Sartre’s, in this respect: the latter acknowledges that woman exists (being), and then she is booked a place in “nothingness,” in a male chauvinistic society. The challenges that woman grapples with is what defines who women are, and acknowledges their being, which precedes their suffering. To Simone de Beauvoir, females are being classified in “nothingness,” and are being treated as mans absolute man’s slaves. I think the inability of woman to be independent and be entitled to her mind is a serious problem that affects her at times, hence justifies her being a man’s “other.” The connotation of woman, however, does not appear to go down well for Beauvoir, who begins by elaborating the hesitation regarding the publication of literary materials regarding women. Nevertheless, woman cuts the image of a perennial dependent on male, if not his servant; the two communities have never received equality treatment. And even in the modern world, woman is immensely weak, though feminist movements have in the recent past attempted to reverse the trend. Though society is conscious of the imperative role played by women, men tend to look away from their achievements. Beauvoir implies that the sex that wields more authority, usually the “subject” and the “absolute” males, have access to better opportunities, and resources to support their endeavors. However, for women, they are grappling with the adverse effects of being in “nothingness.” I consider this as driven by the notion that men have historically been identified as the “absolute” human, the most influential, the best in skill and intellect, most important, and usually successful in the world. Although, women have such abilities as well, the society has discriminated against them, and pushed them to the lower social pedestal. Females are just the weaker human persons that came to be after the “absolute” man. Owing to the infringement on women’s liberties, they suffer more in society due to lack of or inadequate education, and harsher economic opportunities. Section II From being to nothingness In that literature, Jean-Paul Sartre tries to elucidate an issue which many philosophers overlooked. There is a relation between being and nothingness. And when Sartre posited that “I am a waiter in the mode of being what I am not” (Sartre 388), he somehow implied that anyone who has attended social gatherings, for example a conference, is aware of the fact that competing interests and various levels of understanding of events often subsist. Sartre, therefore, implies that if anything to do with “temporality” of an event gives precedence to duration. Additionally, that, though, duration may attract different interpretations, it must involve "an organizing activity, which in this case is what the subject awaits but is not interested in. Nonetheless, Kant did not perceive a processing of a variety and the planning event. At stake, for organization concepts, is the channel of “common” memory, which Sartre argues may not represent all the thinking of the attendants following an event. In Sartres concept of temporality and planning, being content with the prevailing events. And this encompasses his philosophies and multiple contributions regarding Being and Nothingness. Sartre’s philosophies highlight the nature of human souls, the social habits such as leisurely activities, work, and grooming, to the styling of human way of life. The “waiter” aspect of the quote is a philosophical word that he uses to imply to a participant in a social event, who does not fully enjoy the happenings. Any individual who has undergone a painful issue in a marriage life, drug abuse, or too much pressure in the workplace can interpret the Sartre philosophy of being a waiter in the form of what he or she is not, because they do not enjoy the activities, which they are involved in: they are semi-conscious. Affirmation is always involves being certain about something. When an individual in a “waiter” he or she is affirming something, and his or her act of expressing their affirmation can be looked into separately from the individual; people reflect upon what they are affirming. Similarly, an affirmation is often a contradiction of an issue, to refute what it does not imply. For instance, an attendant of a meeting is officially an “attendee” and is registered as one by the orderly. In light of this, to look into the new participant, all attendees names therefore, changes from their particular identities to “ladies and gentlemen.” Due to the large number of participants in such meetings, it would be unusual to turn respond or be distracted, when an individual yells, one person’s name. Owing to the fact that, individual names (unless one is an official) do not meet the threshold of the being-for-itself, all attendees are supposed to wear their new gown and only accept the new general name of “attendants.” It would be rational for the participants to discard their individual names, albeit during the meeting and daily affirmations, that amount to being (using the original name) to a really "nothingness" in which case, they are generally referred to using a general name. The attendees can assert they are no longer their common names that they used to be, and can be the nothingness “participants.” In being-in-itself, the meeting attendees can be aware of the activities taking place in the function. There are numerous ways of being. The meeting attendees merely being who they are, is only a single way of being the participants, in-itself. Notably, being-in-itself is merely being, the actual presentation of oneself for the event. Being-In-Itself is getting oneself to be deeply involved in an event. This is, however, lacking in the Sartean quote as he implies that the attendants are in the meeting (being a waiter) “in the mode of being what I am not,” but are not meticulously following the happenings in the meeting. It is invoked in an environment, too demanding for self-evaluation such as in pre-determined conferences where the participants are looked upon by the organizers as the lesser party that stands to gain, rather than share. A questionnaire for filling, by the participants, is a sure way of ensuring that the participants are being content of themselves. It takes absolute attention not to miss out on any new strategy or approach being highlighted in such meetings; otherwise the attendees would be in a state of “nothingness,” regarding understanding the prevailing issues. In some instances, it is important to be what one is, face the challenges brought about by the uniqueness of a concept of tool and stimulate effective understanding in conferences, rather than being in a state of “nothingness,” as adopting the latter could trigger unnecessary consumption of resources. Beings imply what an individual is. Any attendee should therefore, neither discard their original names, nor pretend they understand the events in the meeting, when in the actual sense they are not. Woman as the Other by Beauvoir For many centuries, the literature about woman as a weaker sex has generated a large outcry: the topic is irritating, more so, to members of the sex. A lot of effort has been put in trying to champion feminism, and maybe people should look at it with caution. It is still debated; however, for the large chunk of the literature published in the twentieth last century appears to have contributed to address the dilemma. Most surely the theory of the everlasting feminine still enjoys support from a cross the world. Some claim the future holds nothing for woman. One thinks if the sex still exists, and will subsist, whether or not it is appropriate that they ought to, their role in society comes into focus. To address the Beauvoir’s quote “He is the Subject; he is the Absolute. She is the other” (Beauvoir 6), it is important to, first ventilate on what a woman entails. Even though, some philosophers point out “womb” as the most important feature of a woman who makes the sex “lesser” to a man, others refute the claim, as the unique feature is lacking in the “superior “man.” All concur in acknowledging the reality that woman subsists in the human fraternity; with almost 50 percent of human beings comprising females. And yet people are informed of the “danger” attached to being feminine. As a result, people are urged to be female, remain female, and become female. It would seem, then, that the condition of being female encompasses some men also, especially those who are deemed womanly. The classification, therefore, encompasses any human being that exhibits the strange and threatened realism believed to amount to femininity. Is this respect, man describes woman not separately, but in a comparative way to him; woman is not observed as a separate entity. By affirming that man “is the subject,” and a wholesome one for that matter, Beauvoir implies the being of man generates sense, when examined separately. Conversely, this is not the case in regard to a woman as the woman appears wanting in essence, by itself. Man can stand a lone, think of his being without any reference to woman. She bases her individual thinking and description without man in mind. And woman is just what man judges; thus woman is referred to as ‘the sex,’ in which case she seems essentially to man as “the other” or “incomplete” human. Woman is described and separated with comparison to man and not the other way around; she is the minor, the insignificant as opposed to the indispensable. Man is the issue; he is the whole, she is the lesser being. The connotation pegged on the “Other” can be traced the ancient times when the perception, was believed to have been coined. In the earliest social settings, in the first mythologies ever to be established, locates the talk of twin issues: the Self and the Other. Notably, the thinking that surrounds the twin-related issues was neither used to refer to sexes, nor was it dependent on any empirical findings. Over the years, though, some women have attempted zealously to liven up the parity between man and woman; it will not work. Regardless, it is common knowledge that no community should ever position itself on a higher pedestal, as the One, without first recognizing the other, by setting it up and placing it in some level and placing various attributes to it: for instance, if three tourist chance to shelter under one roof, that is a complete forum to pinpoint tentatively unwelcome ‘others’ from the public facility which they shared moments earlier. Now, what strangely signalizes the circumstances of woman is that the “Other,” a free and an independent being like man; nonetheless, finds herself occupying a social setting where males force her to take up the role “the other,” and behave in similar ways. They promise to build her as tool and to confine her to immanence, because her development and assumption of control are to be frustrated, and for ever dominated by another conscience, which is more important and stands a lone. The interesting part of lies spewed against woman in this uncertainty between the basic motives of every ego, which always holds the self as the most important and the issues related to a situation in which woman is the lesser being plays out in a thorough scrutiny of the issue. In light of the myriad challenges facing woman, it is important to reexamine how an individual in woman’s position can be content in the society. Furthermore, equally imperative are the avenues that can provide enough opportunities to her, as well as the ones that have pitfalls. Feminists, however, must grapple with the daunting task of regaining independence in situation where dependency is the norms; and mull-over the circumstances that restrict woman’s independence and how the situation can be reversed. These are the basic issues that if addressed could unlock the riddle of woman being regarded as the other. Works Cited Sartre, Jean-Paul. Being and Nothingness: An Essay on Phenomenological Ontology. New York: Routledge, 1969. Read More