Jean-Paul Sartre was a French playwright, screenwriter, political activist, literary
critic, and one of the leading philosophers who followed the philosophy of Existentialism:
the philosophy that says that humans are born a blank slate and are free to determine their
own identity, behavior and goals.
Sartre temporarily supported the communist actions of the Soviet Union, causing tension
that resulted in a lifelong break from his friend and philosopher Albert Camus.
However, after the invasion of Hungary by Soviet Forces, Sartre publicly denounced the
Soviet Union and eventually the French Communist Party as well, due to its authoritarian tendencies.
Sartre was born in Paris at the beginning of the twentieth century and when he was around
sixty years old, he was awarded the1964 Nobel Prize in Literature.
He however refused the prize, claiming that “a writer should never allow himself to
become an institution.”
Sartre wrote many fictional and non-fictional books, essays and gave lectures on Existentialism.
Some of his noted works are: Nausea, Being and Nothingness, Existentialism is a Humanism,
and No Exit.
One of Sartre’s key-concepts that is discussed or prevalent in almost all of his existentialist
works is the notion of “Bad Faith”, which he uses to describe and critique how most
people tend to deny their own freedom.
Alongside his notion of Bad Faith, Sartre has discussed many aspects of existentialism
and ideas on human life that are extremely helpful, which is why in this video we bring
you 8 important life lessons derived from the works of Sartre.
Dare to act
Sartre says “Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.”
Sartre’s philosophy of existentialism is the opposite of essentialism.
An essentialist believes in there being a certain essence in human beings.
An existentialist, instead, believes that we are born without essence.
We exist first and become who we are later on.
Sartre calls this power to define ourselves “the power of subjectivity”.
Most objects in the world lack this power.
The difference between those who have it and those who do not is the difference between
an “object-in-itself” and an “object-for-itself.”
An object-in-itself is something that simply is what it is with no way to change.
For example, a chair or a rock.
On the other hand, the object-for-itself has no defined essence.
It cannot be said of this object that it is anything, for it has the power to create or
change its own being.
The only objects-for-itself are human beings.
Thus you become who you are only when you act.
Since, according to Sartre, there is no fixed ‘human nature’, meaning, or purpose, man
has to make his own choices about how to act.
However most of us live reactively, only responding to what happens to us.
We act when it is expected of us or when the situation calls for it.
For example, the employee who simply follows all the orders given to them will never be
as authentic of an employee as the one who takes initiative.
So, if you think you are not making much progress in life or are frustrated by your lack of
spirit, it is probably because you see and treat yourself as an object-in-itself rather
than an object-for-itself.
Our refusal to act stops us from becoming unique and free human beings, able to have
an impact on our own lives or even the world.
If you want to be unique and make a difference, you should take action without it being asked
or expected of you.
This means coming up with your own ideas and taking initiative.
When you do what you feel is right instead of what others tell you to do, you will grow
as a person and be rewarded.
Only in this way can we truly become who we are.
We should look beyond the rules and expectations of others, and dare to act.
Face your freedom In the words of Sartre “Freedom is what
you do with what’s been done to you.”
Imagine a prisoner who has been locked up for life.
They are not free to do as they please or go where they want to go, so we might think
that this person is not free.
However, Sartre disagrees.
Even when our circumstances force us into certain situations, we are still free to choose
how to react to that situation.
Not doing anything, or denying that you have any options or freedom is what Sartre calls
living in ‘bad faith.’
Living in bad faith means to deny your total freedom, to deceive yourself into thinking
that you don’t have to make choices all the time and therefore don’t have to act
all the time.
But Sartre says even living passively and letting yourself believe you have no freedom
to act is a free choice you make.
All you achieve by living in bad faith is denying yourself any power over who you are.
This feeling of lacking control over your life and yourself can reasonably be seen as
the key to unhappiness.
Most people live in ‘bad faith.’
People often lie to themselves and give themselves the sense that they have a certain ‘essence.’
In this way we live in prisons of our own making.
When we identify too deeply with our job, status, function or role, we let it control
our lives.
We alter our behavior in accordance with how we think someone with that title should act,
instead of acting authentically.
We do not consider taking another job, moving, or leaving a partner, because we feel it would
betray the false identity we live by.
We behave how we think we should instead of how we want to.
And even in situations where we think we are actually unable to make our own choices, like
being in an actual prison, we can - in Satre’s view - still live in bad faith.
A prisoner can choose how to behave in prison, how to regard their own sentence, how to talk
about their experiences and how to socialize with the other inmates.
Any prisoner who believes to be completely robbed of his freedom will not consciously
consider and choose his attitude and behavior.
They are blind to their own options and freedom.
According to Sartre, we are conscious human beings free to act and to take control of
our own life and who we are - We should confront our ever-present freedom.
Even in the most dire of circumstances, Sartre urges you to ask yourself the question: “How
can I react to this situation?
How can I act?
What feels authentic to me?”
and then do that.
Not acting is an act in itself.
In simple terms: make sure never to catch yourself saying, “I had no choice.”
React authentically to the situations you find yourself in and analyze what your actions
and reactions say about you as a person.
Only then are you able to act freely.
Take responsibility
Sartre tells us that “Man being condemned to be free carries the weight of the whole
world on his shoulders.
He is responsible for the world and for himself as a way of being.”
According to Sartre, your actions express who you are, they express your values.
For example, if you help a wounded bird, this might reaffirm certain beliefs you could have
about animals being sacred and innocent and so, by acting, you express your values.
Sometimes, our actions express undesirable values that we do not want to reflect who
we are.
So whenever we do something ‘bad’, we often want to blame something else - such
as our human nature, other people, God, a lack of options instead of taking any responsibility.
However, Sartre says none of these excuses are ever valid.
He reminds us that we are always free to act and react in any way we want to.
There is no God who tells you what to do, and you always have options.
Even when someone else tells you what to do, it is your choice to actually listen to it
and do it.
Every time you act a certain way, you could have chosen to do otherwise.
Thus, Sartre concludes, every choice that you make is one you should take responsibility
for.
One side effect of total freedom is total responsibility.
If you refuse to accept this fact, you would go back to living in bad faith.
People tend to be a bit hypocritical: their actions do not always represent their values.
Someone who believes in a clean earth might litter once in a while due to occasional laziness
or having a bad day.
Someone who usually supports a certain political standpoint might vote for a party against
that standpoint in favor of their other promises.
Whenever we do something that aligns with our values or our image of who we want to
be, like helping that wounded bird, we want to be seen as free and responsible for that
action.
However, whenever we do something that does not align with our values or our image of
who we want to be, we don’t want to be seen as responsible.
It is at those times that we come up with excuses, such as having ‘no choice’, because
you were ordered to by your boss and so on.
This is bad faith.
So, whenever you act, make sure to think about what values this might express, what defines
who you are and what you stand for.
Every single action is one you are responsible for, and denying this responsibility in any
case does not actually absolve you from your responsibility.
Be true to yourself, make sure to always act in a way that expresses your values and take
responsibility for each value you express through your actions - because you could have
always done otherwise.
Set an example
According to Sartre, “When we say that man chooses himself, not only do we mean that
each of us must choose himself, but also that in choosing himself, he is choosing for all
men.”
Sartre says that whenever we express certain values through our actions, we communicate
to the world that these are desirable actions or values.
You are responsible for exerting an image of how you wish mankind to be by being the
prime example yourself.
When you choose to act in a certain way, you also set an example for others.
Thus, Sartre urges everybody to live consciously: dare to act, and do so in a way you would
like other people to act as well, for you always set an example for others.
The lack of setting an example in our daily lives is notably evident in our daily behavior.
We often tend to make exceptions for ourselves.
‘If everybody else cleans up after themselves, it won’t be too bad if I won’t.’
Or: ‘I sure hope someone else will speak up about my boss' abuse of power, because
I am too scared or passive to do so’.
In order to realize your full freedom and the responsibility that comes with it, you
have to force yourself to do all the things you wish others would do as well, no matter
how hard it might seem.
By refusing to do so, you are not acknowledging your full potential, responsibility and freedom;
effectively taking one step back towards bad faith.
This means that whatever you think is right for you, you must also think is right for
all.
Realize that in your actions you are not only representing yourself, but mankind as a whole.
This means that, whenever you do anything, you should honestly ask yourself, ‘What
if everybody did that?’
Suddenly, littering will seem like an unacceptable move, and the risk that not speaking about
something will result in no change becomes inevitable.
You can only act in good conscience if you truly think that everybody put in your position
would benefit from behaving in the same way as you.
Acting in a way that you think everybody should or at least would be better off in doing so,
is the key to leading a more productive and honest life.
Embrace your fears
As Sartre so simply put it, “Acting is happy agony”.
Having to act and take responsibility for your actions in every single scenario you
find yourself in is quite daunting.
Sartre speaks of freedom presenting itself to us as anguish.
Anguish is our natural response to realizing and facing the truth of our complete freedom.
When walking along a cliff, for example, you might feel anguish to know that you have the
freedom to throw yourself down to your imminent death.
Anguish is our distrust in our own decisions and abilities, the fear of being wrong or
unable.
People flee from anguish.
We cease to act simply due to being too scared.
For example, a person might want to start their own dream business.
They know they are free to do so, but also realize it would be a great risk.
Although they know they are technically able, they still doubt they can handle the pressure
and responsibility.
They also fear failure and thus, they never dare to open that business.
We want to know for sure whether a decision is the right one, whether we can trust ourselves
to follow through on something, whether something will work out or not.
Whenever we cannot have this certainty, we refuse to act.
We see our anguish as a threat, or a reason not to do something.
However, feeling anguish is normal.
We will always have to decide for ourselves, take full responsibility for our decisions,
and naturally we will always feel anguish in doing so.
In other words: fear is unavoidable if you want to act.
Anguish is a condition for acting, Sartre concludes.
And since anguish is a condition for acting, it will always be present, we will never overcome
our fear of taking action.
People wanting to overcome their fear will keep waiting their whole lives.
Since trying to overcome and erasing our fears is impossible, there is only one option left:
acting despite it.
Or, to put it another way: facing your fears.
Sartre urges you to never stop yourself from doing anything just because it scares you.
Instead, fear is something you should learn to welcome!
Feeling anguish is a clear sign of being a free actor, after all.
Make sure to act despite - or even because - it scares you, for you will only learn how
to live freely by fully embracing your fears.
Don’t let others define you To quote Sartre ‘‘Shame is shame of self;
it is the recognition of the fact that I am indeed that object which the other is looking
at and judging.’
Sartre points out that we look at others as “objects-in-itself.”
When someone looks at the person ringing up their groceries, they will see that person
as nothing but a cashier.
Someone who litters in front of you is a litterer, and so on.
Whatever you do, you almost always consider your own actions through the possible eyes
of others.
This makes us feel vulnerable and limited in what we are ‘allowed’ to do.
The gaze of outsiders prescribes us as an essence and traps us in a certain shape, that
we then might feel we cannot escape.
We allow others to define us - being stuck in the definition or labels others give you.
This is what Sartre calls “hell”.
Imagine someone studying you as you’re walking down the street.
Even walking and maintaining a normal posture can be hard in such a scenario.
You suddenly become hyper-aware of how you might come across.
Our desire to be accepted by our peers is so strong that we sometimes forget what we
want or what we think, that we are free to do as we please.
We commonly don’t feel like we are able to dress the way we like and consider ourselves
stylish if the people around us do not agree.
If your parents always introduce you as ‘Doctor’, you might feel unable to change your career
or work less to focus on other areas of life.
In truth, we can do all of those things and still define ourselves.
We just have to learn not to let others define us.
In order to regain our freedom, it is time to realize that nobody can prevent you from
acting as you wish or desire.
The secret is to have a relationship with others without seeing their judgment as an
objective fact.
Our relationships with others should not dictate our personality.
Always remember to see yourself as an object-for-itself, which means that you are not a defined being
but rather a being full of potential.
Make sure to always recognise and respect the freedom and potential you have to the
fullest.
If you don’t like your job, leave.
If you want to travel, you should.
You are free to do anything you want.
Only your actions define you - the opinions of others can and will change along with you,
if you allow yourself to change.
So stay true to yourself, despite how others view you.
Don't follow a doctrine
Sartre considers that “If values are vague and if they are always too broad in scope
to apply to the specific and concrete case under consideration, we have no choice but
to rely on our instincts.”
Many look for moral advice - and more often than not, this moral advice comes from a specific
doctrine.
However, Sarte goes against the idea that doctrines should provide any sort of answer
with regards to morality.
To illustrate this idea, he gives the example of one of his students coming to him for help
with a moral dilemma.
The student’s brother was killed by German forces during the second world war in 1940.
The student himself lived with his mother, whose husband - his father - had left them.
After being left by her lover and learning of the death of her son, the woman was inconsolable.
Her only comfort in life was her son - the student.
The student got the choice of joining the Free French Forces and going to England, where
he would get the chance to fight and avenge his brother's death.
Doing so, however, would include having to leave his mother behind and being unable to
comfort her or help her with her life.
His absence, and perhaps his death, might become too much for her to handle, while his
staying behind would guarantee benefit to her life.
Him leaving with the French Forces could not guarantee any benefit to the war effort since
he might be assigned a pointless position, get captured or even be killed.
Sartre describes his two options as two different moralities: one motivated by individual sympathy,
the other of a larger scope with larger ambitions.
One guaranteed to succeed, the other more ambiguous.
When asked what the student should choose, all Sartre could do was remind him of his
own freedom and responsibility.
‘It is your choice to make.’
This is because any doctrine or universal rule is too abstract to apply to specific,
individual cases such as these.
For any choice it could be argued that it follows or breaks a certain moral rule, depending
on what you focus on.
Doctrines, in short, are useless.
Only the student can decide.
People like to look at doctrines for moral advice.
They want to be taught what to do and how to make moral choices, for it would make life
easier and absolve them from making hard choices that they’d then have to justify all by
themselves.
We also tend to ask others what the ‘right’ or ‘best’ thing to do would be.
Sometimes, people feel compelled to blindly follow others without following their own
gut feeling, mis-recognizing their own freedom and wrongly denying personal responsibility.
To avoid fooling yourself in such a way, Sartre stresses that an individual must always make
the choice by choosing what path compels them the most.
To take one last look at the student and his dilemma: in the end, the student realized
that only he could decide what instinctively feels the best to him.
Of course, asking for advice is helpful in the sense that it offers inspiration or previously
unconsidered options.
However, never let yourself be fooled that you can give up your choice to anyone or anything
else.
Make the choices that are most authentic to you.
Embrace your nothingness
In our final quote from Sartre for this video, he says “Nothingness lies coiled in the
heart of being.”
There truly are no limits to what you can do and who you can be and this is best recognised
by embracing ‘nothingness’.
Sartre claims that the being-for-itself only knows what it is by acknowledging what it
is not: it is not a being-in-itself.
It is not the presence of certain characteristics, but precisely the absence of a fixed essence
that defines the being-for-itself.
It is a lack.
A nothingness.
As soon as the being-for-itself recognises itself as a ‘nothingness’, it can finally
start to see and appreciate itself as a blank canvas.
This means letting go of thinking of yourself in terms of what you are and do, but rather
in terms of what you are not and are not doing - for it is those things that you can become
and start doing in the future.
People usually do not look at themselves from this perspective.
As soon as they have the capacity to think about themselves, they like to cling to what
they consider to be constants or essences instead of looking at their potential.
Someone who works as a waiter, for example, can see themselves only as a waiter.
The tendency to define oneself and focus on what you are is ever-present.
Instead, it is important to recognize your lack.
By recognizing everything you are not, you are also recognizing everything you could
be.
That what is nothing can become something.
Instead of seeing yourself as a waiter, see yourself as a human being who is not a waiter,
or teacher, father, clown, nuclear physicist, or anything.
But you can act to reach each of those professions or roles.
Instead of defining yourself by a trait, such as nice, smart, addict, etc, see yourself
for what you are: a human being capable of exhibiting all traits.
Sartre says your actions define who you are but in order to act freely, you have to see
yourself as being full of emptiness and thus potential first.
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Thanks so much for watching.