The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir - Book Report/Review Example

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir (1949) Introduction When the Simone de Beauvoir began writing this book, she cursed and argued that she hates writing about women. That opening phrase may make one think that the authors negative statement is a sign of hate for the female gender. However, as one progresses with the story, it is evident that Simone dislikes the way the female gender is treated. The author insists that a lot has been said about feminism and perhaps she will continue drilling the point home. The author insists that the theory of feminism is still alive, and that is not likely to stop soon. The paper analyzes the concept of freedom according to Simone and relates it to the definitions of freedom according to great authors like Fyodor, Dostoevsky, Jean Paul Sartre, Kierkegaard, and Heidegger. The paper makes conclusion that the authors named above have similar concepts when it comes to freedom. All the authors even though coming from different religious background agree that a freedom leads to self-awareness and consciousness. The authors also agree on the fact that if an individual realizes that they have the freedom a sense of anxiety develops, and the individual will be attempted to exercise their freedom. In the end, that anxiety will lead to self-awareness. Simone de Beauvoir is an existentialist French revolutionist and a feminist philosopher that fought for the second wave of feminism. Her book the second sex is an expression on how the female fraternity is struggling with identity in the social realm. The author uses biological concepts that have been used by many scholars and scientists to reject any form of women prejudice abuse and all evils conducted to them arguing that women are free. The author points out on some of the reasons that have led to the male domination in the society. The author further quotes incidence in Rome and Greece where women were subjected to patriarchal governance something that reduced their freedom. However, the author is keen to quote that Sparta was the only ancient city that gave women freedom. Men were not masters in Sparta and women were not treated as slaves. Simone also attacks religion arguing that Christianity has also played a major role in denying women their respect and rights in the society. The author quotes from writings on the bible. For example, the author quotes Apostle Paul, who said, "Of all the wild animals, none can be found as harmful as a woman" (Simone de Beauvoir pg 71). That is a complete degradation of the female fraternity a concept that hurts Simone. Jean Sartre was also an existentialist whose concept of freedom was related to Simones. According to Sartre every individual has unlimited freedom. That is quite ironical since the fundamental principle of every individual is to have freedom that is unlimited. However, Sartre bases his argument on the physical and social constraints that halts freedom. The author further suggests that freedom is not defined by an individuals ability to act. However, the author believes that the freedom is based on consciousness and spontaneity (Natanson). In relation to this, Sartre gives an example of Pierre’s dilemma on whether to care for his ailing grandmother or to join the French Resistance. Sartre argues that making such decisions is not simple and spontaneous and therefore the decision made must have consequences. For that reason, the author’s concept of freedom is based on the ability to make decisions and mot to avoid making any decisions. The author further states that those decisions must be meaningful and without regret leading to self-awareness and consciousness. On the other hand, Heidegger has a similar perception when it comes to freedom. Freedom according to the author is when a person finds meaningfulness in the light of historical constraints. Heidegger, therefore, ascertains that freedom is not a matter of mere luck and ordinary, but something that would result to what is intended to achieve. The author further discloses that freedom is not just based on free will but also on the disclosure of beings. The author believes that the freedom is also based on being free and open to certain possibilities. His notion of freedom can be related to feminists conception of freedom. That is because feminists argue that women should have the freedom to do anything that their male counterparts are doing. The same concept is used by Simone while championing for female rights in the society. Moreover, Heidegger says that individuals have knowledge of things by themselves and therefore only restrict their freedom according to their thinking. Dostoyevsky was born and raised under a strong religious background. He was a catholic that attended a lot of religious practices in his church. He developed a strong faith in God but as he grew up, he developed suspicion against God. He questioned the spiritual definition of freedom. That is the freedom to choose either right or wrong. The author argues that both man and God are to be blamed when it comes to freedom (Dostoyevsky). That is because the freedom accorded to humans by God only increases the possibility to engage in sin. The author also argues that must freedom so that people can enjoy the love presented by God. The author further states that freedom and goodness cannot exist in the same world since human beings are imperfect and will not follow it. The authors definition and concept of freedom are quite different from that of Simone because Dostoyevsky believes that misery and suffering that most of the people are undergoing in the world is because of the freedom. The author questions the suffering yet the whole dignity of man depends on the concept of freedom. However, the two authors agree on the concept of self-awareness and consciousness. Similar sentiments are shared by Danish author Soren Kierkegaard. The author who also has a strong religious background question freedom from the religious concept. The author portrays a lot of religion in the manner in which he writes his books. All his books contain a prayer as preface. While defining freedom, the author relates freedom to the ability of man to recognize and identify freedom. The author uses the example of the original sin. The author blames God for giving Adam the freedom to eat all the fruits apart from the forbidden fruit (Søren Kierkegaard). The author argues that God did not inform Adam about the consequences of eating the forbidden fruit yet He gave Adam the freedom. Adam had a chance to either obey God or not. Similar sentiments have been shared by Dostoyevsky in his definition and concept of freedom. According to the two authors, the freedom that people enjoy in the world results to the death and misery that humans are undergoing. Kierkegaard also reveals that anxiety in relation to freedom made Adam commit a sin. The author argues that when one is accorded freedom anxiety sets in, and people are attempted to explore their freedom something that results to consequences. From a reflective point of view, Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Dostoyevsky have the similar notion in their concept of freedom. The authors agree on the fact that self -awareness in addition to personal responsibility will lead humans to a state of un-self -consciousness and reflective consciousness. Consequently, the individual will then try to exercise their freedom led by anxiety. Moreover, the authors ascertain that the anxiety is responsible for causing sin while at the same time anxiety is responsible for recognition of self-awareness ones identity. At this juncture, we must agree that Simones notion on freedom is similar to the authors mentioned above. That is because Simone asserts that man is fundamentally free, and the freedom is coming from nothingness a concept of being consciously aware. The author, therefore, argues that with freedom, human beings can do whatever they choses to do. However, the author also agrees that our freedom is constrained by physical limits and social barriers in addition to the type of expectations and political will of other individuals. The same concept had earlier been mentioned by Sartre, who agrees that our freedom is under social and physical constraints. Simone discusses on how people in the society deny others in the society their freedom arguing that the freedom can also be uncomfortable and disquieting at times. The author also argues that several people can enjoy their freedom, but most of the time ends up misusing it. Conclusion Great philosophers and existentialist writers like Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Sartre, Dostoyevsky, and Kierkegaard believes that humans have a free will and the ability to do what they want. The authors also agree on the concept that despite freedom, human beings are constrained by physical and social boundaries. The authors conclusively agree that the concept of self-awareness that arises from anxiety is because of freedom. Other authors like Kierkegaard and Dostoyevsky have gone to the extent of even questioning the freedom that God has bestowed on human beings. The authors are arguing that it is the cause of sin, misery and suffering that man endures in the world. Works Cited Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. Translated by Constance Garnett. New York: W. W. Norton, 1976. Natanson, M. A Critique of Jean-Paul Sartres Ontology. New York: Haskell House Publishers, 1972. Simone de Beauvoir. The Second Sex. London: Haus, 1949. Søren Kierkegaard. The Concept of Anxiety: A Simple Psychologically Orienting Deliberation on the Dogmatic Issue of Hereditary Sin. London: Princeton University Press, 1844. Read More