1 00:00:01,220 --> 00:00:07,010 Jean-Paul Sartre was a French playwright, screenwriter, political activist, literary 2 00:00:07,010 --> 00:00:12,850 critic, and one of the leading philosophers who followed the philosophy of Existentialism: 3 00:00:12,850 --> 00:00:18,509 the philosophy that says that humans are born a blank slate and are free to determine their 4 00:00:18,509 --> 00:00:21,720 own identity, behavior and goals. 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:26,449 Sartre temporarily supported the communist actions of the Soviet Union, causing tension 6 00:00:26,449 --> 00:00:31,369 that resulted in a lifelong break from his friend and philosopher Albert Camus. 7 00:00:31,369 --> 00:00:37,890 However, after the invasion of Hungary by Soviet Forces, Sartre publicly denounced the 8 00:00:37,890 --> 00:00:44,830 Soviet Union and eventually the French Communist Party as well, due to its authoritarian tendencies. 9 00:00:44,830 --> 00:00:49,400 Sartre was born in Paris at the beginning of the twentieth century and when he was around 10 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:56,230 sixty years old, he was awarded the1964 Nobel Prize in Literature. 11 00:00:56,230 --> 00:01:01,000 He however refused the prize, claiming that “a writer should never allow himself to 12 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:03,350 become an institution.” 13 00:01:03,350 --> 00:01:10,280 Sartre wrote many fictional and non-fictional books, essays and gave lectures on Existentialism. 14 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:17,720 Some of his noted works are: Nausea, Being and Nothingness, Existentialism is a Humanism, 15 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:19,420 and No Exit. 16 00:01:19,420 --> 00:01:24,270 One of Sartre’s key-concepts that is discussed or prevalent in almost all of his existentialist 17 00:01:24,270 --> 00:01:29,880 works is the notion of “Bad Faith”, which he uses to describe and critique how most 18 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:32,870 people tend to deny their own freedom. 19 00:01:32,870 --> 00:01:37,590 Alongside his notion of Bad Faith, Sartre has discussed many aspects of existentialism 20 00:01:37,590 --> 00:01:42,830 and ideas on human life that are extremely helpful, which is why in this video we bring 21 00:01:42,830 --> 00:01:50,229 you 8 important life lessons derived from the works of Sartre. 22 00:01:50,229 --> 00:01:52,090 Dare to act 23 00:01:52,090 --> 00:01:56,950 Sartre says “Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.” 24 00:01:56,950 --> 00:02:02,720 Sartre’s philosophy of existentialism is the opposite of essentialism. 25 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:08,080 An essentialist believes in there being a certain essence in human beings. 26 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:13,090 An existentialist, instead, believes that we are born without essence. 27 00:02:13,090 --> 00:02:16,510 We exist first and become who we are later on. 28 00:02:16,510 --> 00:02:21,569 Sartre calls this power to define ourselves “the power of subjectivity”. 29 00:02:21,569 --> 00:02:24,569 Most objects in the world lack this power. 30 00:02:24,569 --> 00:02:28,680 The difference between those who have it and those who do not is the difference between 31 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:33,330 an “object-in-itself” and an “object-for-itself.” 32 00:02:33,330 --> 00:02:39,040 An object-in-itself is something that simply is what it is with no way to change. 33 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,000 For example, a chair or a rock. 34 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:46,880 On the other hand, the object-for-itself has no defined essence. 35 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:51,860 It cannot be said of this object that it is anything, for it has the power to create or 36 00:02:51,860 --> 00:02:54,240 change its own being. 37 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:58,770 The only objects-for-itself are human beings. 38 00:02:58,770 --> 00:03:02,760 Thus you become who you are only when you act. 39 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:09,001 Since, according to Sartre, there is no fixed ‘human nature’, meaning, or purpose, man 40 00:03:09,001 --> 00:03:12,870 has to make his own choices about how to act. 41 00:03:12,870 --> 00:03:18,570 However most of us live reactively, only responding to what happens to us. 42 00:03:18,570 --> 00:03:23,140 We act when it is expected of us or when the situation calls for it. 43 00:03:23,140 --> 00:03:27,750 For example, the employee who simply follows all the orders given to them will never be 44 00:03:27,750 --> 00:03:31,530 as authentic of an employee as the one who takes initiative. 45 00:03:31,530 --> 00:03:36,960 So, if you think you are not making much progress in life or are frustrated by your lack of 46 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:42,380 spirit, it is probably because you see and treat yourself as an object-in-itself rather 47 00:03:42,380 --> 00:03:44,680 than an object-for-itself. 48 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:50,640 Our refusal to act stops us from becoming unique and free human beings, able to have 49 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,170 an impact on our own lives or even the world. 50 00:03:54,170 --> 00:03:59,110 If you want to be unique and make a difference, you should take action without it being asked 51 00:03:59,110 --> 00:04:00,920 or expected of you. 52 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,870 This means coming up with your own ideas and taking initiative. 53 00:04:04,870 --> 00:04:09,269 When you do what you feel is right instead of what others tell you to do, you will grow 54 00:04:09,269 --> 00:04:12,560 as a person and be rewarded. 55 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:15,720 Only in this way can we truly become who we are. 56 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:23,020 We should look beyond the rules and expectations of others, and dare to act. 57 00:04:23,020 --> 00:04:28,280 Face your freedom In the words of Sartre “Freedom is what 58 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:32,430 you do with what’s been done to you.” 59 00:04:32,430 --> 00:04:35,280 Imagine a prisoner who has been locked up for life. 60 00:04:35,280 --> 00:04:40,240 They are not free to do as they please or go where they want to go, so we might think 61 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:42,690 that this person is not free. 62 00:04:42,690 --> 00:04:45,980 However, Sartre disagrees. 63 00:04:45,980 --> 00:04:51,060 Even when our circumstances force us into certain situations, we are still free to choose 64 00:04:51,060 --> 00:04:54,130 how to react to that situation. 65 00:04:54,130 --> 00:04:59,490 Not doing anything, or denying that you have any options or freedom is what Sartre calls 66 00:04:59,490 --> 00:05:02,110 living in ‘bad faith.’ 67 00:05:02,110 --> 00:05:07,110 Living in bad faith means to deny your total freedom, to deceive yourself into thinking 68 00:05:07,110 --> 00:05:11,310 that you don’t have to make choices all the time and therefore don’t have to act 69 00:05:11,310 --> 00:05:12,310 all the time. 70 00:05:12,310 --> 00:05:17,330 But Sartre says even living passively and letting yourself believe you have no freedom 71 00:05:17,330 --> 00:05:20,509 to act is a free choice you make. 72 00:05:20,509 --> 00:05:26,350 All you achieve by living in bad faith is denying yourself any power over who you are. 73 00:05:26,350 --> 00:05:31,130 This feeling of lacking control over your life and yourself can reasonably be seen as 74 00:05:31,130 --> 00:05:33,910 the key to unhappiness. 75 00:05:33,910 --> 00:05:36,190 Most people live in ‘bad faith.’ 76 00:05:36,190 --> 00:05:41,449 People often lie to themselves and give themselves the sense that they have a certain ‘essence.’ 77 00:05:41,449 --> 00:05:44,820 In this way we live in prisons of our own making. 78 00:05:44,820 --> 00:05:50,580 When we identify too deeply with our job, status, function or role, we let it control 79 00:05:50,580 --> 00:05:51,960 our lives. 80 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:57,490 We alter our behavior in accordance with how we think someone with that title should act, 81 00:05:57,490 --> 00:05:59,710 instead of acting authentically. 82 00:05:59,710 --> 00:06:05,410 We do not consider taking another job, moving, or leaving a partner, because we feel it would 83 00:06:05,410 --> 00:06:08,490 betray the false identity we live by. 84 00:06:08,490 --> 00:06:13,710 We behave how we think we should instead of how we want to. 85 00:06:13,710 --> 00:06:18,669 And even in situations where we think we are actually unable to make our own choices, like 86 00:06:18,669 --> 00:06:25,110 being in an actual prison, we can - in Satre’s view - still live in bad faith. 87 00:06:25,110 --> 00:06:30,949 A prisoner can choose how to behave in prison, how to regard their own sentence, how to talk 88 00:06:30,949 --> 00:06:35,580 about their experiences and how to socialize with the other inmates. 89 00:06:35,580 --> 00:06:39,910 Any prisoner who believes to be completely robbed of his freedom will not consciously 90 00:06:39,910 --> 00:06:42,780 consider and choose his attitude and behavior. 91 00:06:42,780 --> 00:06:47,120 They are blind to their own options and freedom. 92 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:52,710 According to Sartre, we are conscious human beings free to act and to take control of 93 00:06:52,710 --> 00:06:58,900 our own life and who we are - We should confront our ever-present freedom. 94 00:06:58,900 --> 00:07:04,819 Even in the most dire of circumstances, Sartre urges you to ask yourself the question: “How 95 00:07:04,819 --> 00:07:07,199 can I react to this situation? 96 00:07:07,199 --> 00:07:09,169 How can I act? 97 00:07:09,169 --> 00:07:11,810 What feels authentic to me?” 98 00:07:11,810 --> 00:07:13,770 and then do that. 99 00:07:13,770 --> 00:07:16,770 Not acting is an act in itself. 100 00:07:16,770 --> 00:07:23,410 In simple terms: make sure never to catch yourself saying, “I had no choice.” 101 00:07:23,410 --> 00:07:28,280 React authentically to the situations you find yourself in and analyze what your actions 102 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,509 and reactions say about you as a person. 103 00:07:31,509 --> 00:07:36,940 Only then are you able to act freely. 104 00:07:36,940 --> 00:07:39,569 Take responsibility 105 00:07:39,569 --> 00:07:45,490 Sartre tells us that “Man being condemned to be free carries the weight of the whole 106 00:07:45,490 --> 00:07:47,780 world on his shoulders. 107 00:07:47,780 --> 00:07:53,289 He is responsible for the world and for himself as a way of being.” 108 00:07:53,289 --> 00:07:58,699 According to Sartre, your actions express who you are, they express your values. 109 00:07:58,699 --> 00:08:04,000 For example, if you help a wounded bird, this might reaffirm certain beliefs you could have 110 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:10,319 about animals being sacred and innocent and so, by acting, you express your values. 111 00:08:10,319 --> 00:08:15,620 Sometimes, our actions express undesirable values that we do not want to reflect who 112 00:08:15,620 --> 00:08:16,620 we are. 113 00:08:16,620 --> 00:08:20,949 So whenever we do something ‘bad’, we often want to blame something else - such 114 00:08:20,949 --> 00:08:28,280 as our human nature, other people, God, a lack of options instead of taking any responsibility. 115 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:34,129 However, Sartre says none of these excuses are ever valid. 116 00:08:34,129 --> 00:08:39,269 He reminds us that we are always free to act and react in any way we want to. 117 00:08:39,269 --> 00:08:44,119 There is no God who tells you what to do, and you always have options. 118 00:08:44,119 --> 00:08:48,489 Even when someone else tells you what to do, it is your choice to actually listen to it 119 00:08:48,489 --> 00:08:50,339 and do it. 120 00:08:50,339 --> 00:08:54,399 Every time you act a certain way, you could have chosen to do otherwise. 121 00:08:54,399 --> 00:08:59,870 Thus, Sartre concludes, every choice that you make is one you should take responsibility 122 00:08:59,870 --> 00:09:01,119 for. 123 00:09:01,119 --> 00:09:05,980 One side effect of total freedom is total responsibility. 124 00:09:05,980 --> 00:09:11,470 If you refuse to accept this fact, you would go back to living in bad faith. 125 00:09:11,470 --> 00:09:17,070 People tend to be a bit hypocritical: their actions do not always represent their values. 126 00:09:17,070 --> 00:09:21,670 Someone who believes in a clean earth might litter once in a while due to occasional laziness 127 00:09:21,670 --> 00:09:24,209 or having a bad day. 128 00:09:24,209 --> 00:09:29,249 Someone who usually supports a certain political standpoint might vote for a party against 129 00:09:29,249 --> 00:09:33,519 that standpoint in favor of their other promises. 130 00:09:33,519 --> 00:09:37,800 Whenever we do something that aligns with our values or our image of who we want to 131 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:43,480 be, like helping that wounded bird, we want to be seen as free and responsible for that 132 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:44,480 action. 133 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:48,600 However, whenever we do something that does not align with our values or our image of 134 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:53,379 who we want to be, we don’t want to be seen as responsible. 135 00:09:53,379 --> 00:09:59,119 It is at those times that we come up with excuses, such as having ‘no choice’, because 136 00:09:59,119 --> 00:10:02,600 you were ordered to by your boss and so on. 137 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:04,369 This is bad faith. 138 00:10:04,369 --> 00:10:10,549 So, whenever you act, make sure to think about what values this might express, what defines 139 00:10:10,549 --> 00:10:13,819 who you are and what you stand for. 140 00:10:13,819 --> 00:10:18,850 Every single action is one you are responsible for, and denying this responsibility in any 141 00:10:18,850 --> 00:10:23,339 case does not actually absolve you from your responsibility. 142 00:10:23,339 --> 00:10:28,769 Be true to yourself, make sure to always act in a way that expresses your values and take 143 00:10:28,769 --> 00:10:34,249 responsibility for each value you express through your actions - because you could have 144 00:10:34,249 --> 00:10:37,220 always done otherwise. 145 00:10:37,220 --> 00:10:41,369 Set an example 146 00:10:41,369 --> 00:10:47,709 According to Sartre, “When we say that man chooses himself, not only do we mean that 147 00:10:47,709 --> 00:10:54,379 each of us must choose himself, but also that in choosing himself, he is choosing for all 148 00:10:54,379 --> 00:10:55,799 men.” 149 00:10:55,799 --> 00:11:00,980 Sartre says that whenever we express certain values through our actions, we communicate 150 00:11:00,980 --> 00:11:05,100 to the world that these are desirable actions or values. 151 00:11:05,100 --> 00:11:10,170 You are responsible for exerting an image of how you wish mankind to be by being the 152 00:11:10,170 --> 00:11:12,910 prime example yourself. 153 00:11:12,910 --> 00:11:17,339 When you choose to act in a certain way, you also set an example for others. 154 00:11:17,339 --> 00:11:23,759 Thus, Sartre urges everybody to live consciously: dare to act, and do so in a way you would 155 00:11:23,759 --> 00:11:29,720 like other people to act as well, for you always set an example for others. 156 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:35,970 The lack of setting an example in our daily lives is notably evident in our daily behavior. 157 00:11:35,970 --> 00:11:38,779 We often tend to make exceptions for ourselves. 158 00:11:38,779 --> 00:11:44,350 ‘If everybody else cleans up after themselves, it won’t be too bad if I won’t.’ 159 00:11:44,350 --> 00:11:48,949 Or: ‘I sure hope someone else will speak up about my boss' abuse of power, because 160 00:11:48,949 --> 00:11:52,389 I am too scared or passive to do so’. 161 00:11:52,389 --> 00:11:57,179 In order to realize your full freedom and the responsibility that comes with it, you 162 00:11:57,179 --> 00:12:01,929 have to force yourself to do all the things you wish others would do as well, no matter 163 00:12:01,929 --> 00:12:04,179 how hard it might seem. 164 00:12:04,179 --> 00:12:10,589 By refusing to do so, you are not acknowledging your full potential, responsibility and freedom; 165 00:12:10,589 --> 00:12:14,879 effectively taking one step back towards bad faith. 166 00:12:14,879 --> 00:12:19,819 This means that whatever you think is right for you, you must also think is right for 167 00:12:19,819 --> 00:12:20,819 all. 168 00:12:20,819 --> 00:12:26,639 Realize that in your actions you are not only representing yourself, but mankind as a whole. 169 00:12:26,639 --> 00:12:31,620 This means that, whenever you do anything, you should honestly ask yourself, ‘What 170 00:12:31,620 --> 00:12:33,639 if everybody did that?’ 171 00:12:33,639 --> 00:12:38,980 Suddenly, littering will seem like an unacceptable move, and the risk that not speaking about 172 00:12:38,980 --> 00:12:43,160 something will result in no change becomes inevitable. 173 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:47,910 You can only act in good conscience if you truly think that everybody put in your position 174 00:12:47,910 --> 00:12:51,399 would benefit from behaving in the same way as you. 175 00:12:51,399 --> 00:12:55,980 Acting in a way that you think everybody should or at least would be better off in doing so, 176 00:12:55,980 --> 00:13:02,600 is the key to leading a more productive and honest life. 177 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:03,629 Embrace your fears 178 00:13:03,629 --> 00:13:10,480 As Sartre so simply put it, “Acting is happy agony”. 179 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:14,970 Having to act and take responsibility for your actions in every single scenario you 180 00:13:14,970 --> 00:13:18,410 find yourself in is quite daunting. 181 00:13:18,410 --> 00:13:23,309 Sartre speaks of freedom presenting itself to us as anguish. 182 00:13:23,309 --> 00:13:29,269 Anguish is our natural response to realizing and facing the truth of our complete freedom. 183 00:13:29,269 --> 00:13:33,199 When walking along a cliff, for example, you might feel anguish to know that you have the 184 00:13:33,199 --> 00:13:37,160 freedom to throw yourself down to your imminent death. 185 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:42,670 Anguish is our distrust in our own decisions and abilities, the fear of being wrong or 186 00:13:42,670 --> 00:13:44,600 unable. 187 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:46,899 People flee from anguish. 188 00:13:46,899 --> 00:13:50,730 We cease to act simply due to being too scared. 189 00:13:50,730 --> 00:13:55,199 For example, a person might want to start their own dream business. 190 00:13:55,199 --> 00:14:00,319 They know they are free to do so, but also realize it would be a great risk. 191 00:14:00,319 --> 00:14:05,040 Although they know they are technically able, they still doubt they can handle the pressure 192 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:07,249 and responsibility. 193 00:14:07,249 --> 00:14:12,859 They also fear failure and thus, they never dare to open that business. 194 00:14:12,859 --> 00:14:17,470 We want to know for sure whether a decision is the right one, whether we can trust ourselves 195 00:14:17,470 --> 00:14:22,220 to follow through on something, whether something will work out or not. 196 00:14:22,220 --> 00:14:26,529 Whenever we cannot have this certainty, we refuse to act. 197 00:14:26,529 --> 00:14:31,309 We see our anguish as a threat, or a reason not to do something. 198 00:14:31,309 --> 00:14:34,859 However, feeling anguish is normal. 199 00:14:34,859 --> 00:14:40,160 We will always have to decide for ourselves, take full responsibility for our decisions, 200 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:44,429 and naturally we will always feel anguish in doing so. 201 00:14:44,429 --> 00:14:49,980 In other words: fear is unavoidable if you want to act. 202 00:14:49,980 --> 00:14:53,919 Anguish is a condition for acting, Sartre concludes. 203 00:14:53,919 --> 00:14:59,769 And since anguish is a condition for acting, it will always be present, we will never overcome 204 00:14:59,769 --> 00:15:02,579 our fear of taking action. 205 00:15:02,579 --> 00:15:07,809 People wanting to overcome their fear will keep waiting their whole lives. 206 00:15:07,809 --> 00:15:14,129 Since trying to overcome and erasing our fears is impossible, there is only one option left: 207 00:15:14,129 --> 00:15:15,689 acting despite it. 208 00:15:15,689 --> 00:15:20,699 Or, to put it another way: facing your fears. 209 00:15:20,699 --> 00:15:26,139 Sartre urges you to never stop yourself from doing anything just because it scares you. 210 00:15:26,139 --> 00:15:29,500 Instead, fear is something you should learn to welcome! 211 00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:34,019 Feeling anguish is a clear sign of being a free actor, after all. 212 00:15:34,019 --> 00:15:39,989 Make sure to act despite - or even because - it scares you, for you will only learn how 213 00:15:39,989 --> 00:15:44,629 to live freely by fully embracing your fears. 214 00:15:44,629 --> 00:15:52,879 Don’t let others define you To quote Sartre ‘‘Shame is shame of self; 215 00:15:52,879 --> 00:15:57,669 it is the recognition of the fact that I am indeed that object which the other is looking 216 00:15:57,669 --> 00:16:00,540 at and judging.’ 217 00:16:00,540 --> 00:16:05,299 Sartre points out that we look at others as “objects-in-itself.” 218 00:16:05,299 --> 00:16:09,199 When someone looks at the person ringing up their groceries, they will see that person 219 00:16:09,199 --> 00:16:11,290 as nothing but a cashier. 220 00:16:11,290 --> 00:16:14,600 Someone who litters in front of you is a litterer, and so on. 221 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:19,970 Whatever you do, you almost always consider your own actions through the possible eyes 222 00:16:19,970 --> 00:16:21,229 of others. 223 00:16:21,229 --> 00:16:26,139 This makes us feel vulnerable and limited in what we are ‘allowed’ to do. 224 00:16:26,139 --> 00:16:31,389 The gaze of outsiders prescribes us as an essence and traps us in a certain shape, that 225 00:16:31,389 --> 00:16:34,019 we then might feel we cannot escape. 226 00:16:34,019 --> 00:16:39,999 We allow others to define us - being stuck in the definition or labels others give you. 227 00:16:39,999 --> 00:16:43,610 This is what Sartre calls “hell”. 228 00:16:43,610 --> 00:16:47,470 Imagine someone studying you as you’re walking down the street. 229 00:16:47,470 --> 00:16:52,259 Even walking and maintaining a normal posture can be hard in such a scenario. 230 00:16:52,259 --> 00:16:56,609 You suddenly become hyper-aware of how you might come across. 231 00:16:56,609 --> 00:17:01,809 Our desire to be accepted by our peers is so strong that we sometimes forget what we 232 00:17:01,809 --> 00:17:06,809 want or what we think, that we are free to do as we please. 233 00:17:06,809 --> 00:17:11,019 We commonly don’t feel like we are able to dress the way we like and consider ourselves 234 00:17:11,019 --> 00:17:14,740 stylish if the people around us do not agree. 235 00:17:14,740 --> 00:17:20,059 If your parents always introduce you as ‘Doctor’, you might feel unable to change your career 236 00:17:20,059 --> 00:17:23,649 or work less to focus on other areas of life. 237 00:17:23,649 --> 00:17:28,399 In truth, we can do all of those things and still define ourselves. 238 00:17:28,399 --> 00:17:32,300 We just have to learn not to let others define us. 239 00:17:32,300 --> 00:17:37,720 In order to regain our freedom, it is time to realize that nobody can prevent you from 240 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:40,389 acting as you wish or desire. 241 00:17:40,389 --> 00:17:45,220 The secret is to have a relationship with others without seeing their judgment as an 242 00:17:45,220 --> 00:17:46,380 objective fact. 243 00:17:46,380 --> 00:17:51,470 Our relationships with others should not dictate our personality. 244 00:17:51,470 --> 00:17:58,759 Always remember to see yourself as an object-for-itself, which means that you are not a defined being 245 00:17:58,759 --> 00:18:02,299 but rather a being full of potential. 246 00:18:02,299 --> 00:18:07,309 Make sure to always recognise and respect the freedom and potential you have to the 247 00:18:07,309 --> 00:18:08,639 fullest. 248 00:18:08,639 --> 00:18:11,419 If you don’t like your job, leave. 249 00:18:11,419 --> 00:18:12,639 If you want to travel, you should. 250 00:18:12,639 --> 00:18:16,740 You are free to do anything you want. 251 00:18:16,740 --> 00:18:22,240 Only your actions define you - the opinions of others can and will change along with you, 252 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,480 if you allow yourself to change. 253 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:31,549 So stay true to yourself, despite how others view you. 254 00:18:31,549 --> 00:18:34,529 Don't follow a doctrine 255 00:18:34,529 --> 00:18:40,639 Sartre considers that “If values are vague and if they are always too broad in scope 256 00:18:40,639 --> 00:18:46,590 to apply to the specific and concrete case under consideration, we have no choice but 257 00:18:46,590 --> 00:18:49,620 to rely on our instincts.” 258 00:18:49,620 --> 00:18:56,270 Many look for moral advice - and more often than not, this moral advice comes from a specific 259 00:18:56,270 --> 00:18:57,270 doctrine. 260 00:18:57,270 --> 00:19:02,529 However, Sarte goes against the idea that doctrines should provide any sort of answer 261 00:19:02,529 --> 00:19:04,899 with regards to morality. 262 00:19:04,899 --> 00:19:10,059 To illustrate this idea, he gives the example of one of his students coming to him for help 263 00:19:10,059 --> 00:19:12,120 with a moral dilemma. 264 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:18,409 The student’s brother was killed by German forces during the second world war in 1940. 265 00:19:18,409 --> 00:19:24,360 The student himself lived with his mother, whose husband - his father - had left them. 266 00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:30,039 After being left by her lover and learning of the death of her son, the woman was inconsolable. 267 00:19:30,039 --> 00:19:33,929 Her only comfort in life was her son - the student. 268 00:19:33,929 --> 00:19:38,970 The student got the choice of joining the Free French Forces and going to England, where 269 00:19:38,970 --> 00:19:43,049 he would get the chance to fight and avenge his brother's death. 270 00:19:43,049 --> 00:19:48,029 Doing so, however, would include having to leave his mother behind and being unable to 271 00:19:48,029 --> 00:19:51,120 comfort her or help her with her life. 272 00:19:51,120 --> 00:19:55,940 His absence, and perhaps his death, might become too much for her to handle, while his 273 00:19:55,940 --> 00:20:00,039 staying behind would guarantee benefit to her life. 274 00:20:00,039 --> 00:20:05,279 Him leaving with the French Forces could not guarantee any benefit to the war effort since 275 00:20:05,279 --> 00:20:10,909 he might be assigned a pointless position, get captured or even be killed. 276 00:20:10,909 --> 00:20:18,179 Sartre describes his two options as two different moralities: one motivated by individual sympathy, 277 00:20:18,179 --> 00:20:22,080 the other of a larger scope with larger ambitions. 278 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:26,970 One guaranteed to succeed, the other more ambiguous. 279 00:20:26,970 --> 00:20:31,919 When asked what the student should choose, all Sartre could do was remind him of his 280 00:20:31,919 --> 00:20:33,929 own freedom and responsibility. 281 00:20:33,929 --> 00:20:37,310 ‘It is your choice to make.’ 282 00:20:37,310 --> 00:20:43,289 This is because any doctrine or universal rule is too abstract to apply to specific, 283 00:20:43,289 --> 00:20:46,170 individual cases such as these. 284 00:20:46,170 --> 00:20:51,710 For any choice it could be argued that it follows or breaks a certain moral rule, depending 285 00:20:51,710 --> 00:20:53,690 on what you focus on. 286 00:20:53,690 --> 00:20:57,210 Doctrines, in short, are useless. 287 00:20:57,210 --> 00:21:00,019 Only the student can decide. 288 00:21:00,019 --> 00:21:02,820 People like to look at doctrines for moral advice. 289 00:21:02,820 --> 00:21:08,509 They want to be taught what to do and how to make moral choices, for it would make life 290 00:21:08,509 --> 00:21:13,909 easier and absolve them from making hard choices that they’d then have to justify all by 291 00:21:13,909 --> 00:21:15,879 themselves. 292 00:21:15,879 --> 00:21:20,840 We also tend to ask others what the ‘right’ or ‘best’ thing to do would be. 293 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:25,120 Sometimes, people feel compelled to blindly follow others without following their own 294 00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:32,659 gut feeling, mis-recognizing their own freedom and wrongly denying personal responsibility. 295 00:21:32,659 --> 00:21:38,149 To avoid fooling yourself in such a way, Sartre stresses that an individual must always make 296 00:21:38,149 --> 00:21:42,620 the choice by choosing what path compels them the most. 297 00:21:42,620 --> 00:21:47,590 To take one last look at the student and his dilemma: in the end, the student realized 298 00:21:47,590 --> 00:21:51,600 that only he could decide what instinctively feels the best to him. 299 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:56,970 Of course, asking for advice is helpful in the sense that it offers inspiration or previously 300 00:21:56,970 --> 00:21:58,620 unconsidered options. 301 00:21:58,620 --> 00:22:04,059 However, never let yourself be fooled that you can give up your choice to anyone or anything 302 00:22:04,059 --> 00:22:05,570 else. 303 00:22:05,570 --> 00:22:12,059 Make the choices that are most authentic to you. 304 00:22:12,059 --> 00:22:14,450 Embrace your nothingness 305 00:22:14,450 --> 00:22:21,559 In our final quote from Sartre for this video, he says “Nothingness lies coiled in the 306 00:22:21,559 --> 00:22:24,520 heart of being.” 307 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:30,789 There truly are no limits to what you can do and who you can be and this is best recognised 308 00:22:30,789 --> 00:22:33,870 by embracing ‘nothingness’. 309 00:22:33,870 --> 00:22:39,480 Sartre claims that the being-for-itself only knows what it is by acknowledging what it 310 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:44,290 is not: it is not a being-in-itself. 311 00:22:44,290 --> 00:22:50,090 It is not the presence of certain characteristics, but precisely the absence of a fixed essence 312 00:22:50,090 --> 00:22:53,049 that defines the being-for-itself. 313 00:22:53,049 --> 00:22:54,909 It is a lack. 314 00:22:54,909 --> 00:22:57,129 A nothingness. 315 00:22:57,129 --> 00:23:02,419 As soon as the being-for-itself recognises itself as a ‘nothingness’, it can finally 316 00:23:02,419 --> 00:23:07,379 start to see and appreciate itself as a blank canvas. 317 00:23:07,379 --> 00:23:12,480 This means letting go of thinking of yourself in terms of what you are and do, but rather 318 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:18,269 in terms of what you are not and are not doing - for it is those things that you can become 319 00:23:18,269 --> 00:23:21,539 and start doing in the future. 320 00:23:21,539 --> 00:23:25,399 People usually do not look at themselves from this perspective. 321 00:23:25,399 --> 00:23:29,789 As soon as they have the capacity to think about themselves, they like to cling to what 322 00:23:29,789 --> 00:23:35,429 they consider to be constants or essences instead of looking at their potential. 323 00:23:35,429 --> 00:23:40,049 Someone who works as a waiter, for example, can see themselves only as a waiter. 324 00:23:40,049 --> 00:23:45,009 The tendency to define oneself and focus on what you are is ever-present. 325 00:23:45,009 --> 00:23:49,960 Instead, it is important to recognize your lack. 326 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:54,590 By recognizing everything you are not, you are also recognizing everything you could 327 00:23:54,590 --> 00:23:55,850 be. 328 00:23:55,850 --> 00:23:59,769 That what is nothing can become something. 329 00:23:59,769 --> 00:24:06,740 Instead of seeing yourself as a waiter, see yourself as a human being who is not a waiter, 330 00:24:06,740 --> 00:24:10,009 or teacher, father, clown, nuclear physicist, or anything. 331 00:24:10,009 --> 00:24:15,049 But you can act to reach each of those professions or roles. 332 00:24:15,049 --> 00:24:21,269 Instead of defining yourself by a trait, such as nice, smart, addict, etc, see yourself 333 00:24:21,269 --> 00:24:26,360 for what you are: a human being capable of exhibiting all traits. 334 00:24:26,360 --> 00:24:32,970 Sartre says your actions define who you are but in order to act freely, you have to see 335 00:24:32,970 --> 00:24:40,360 yourself as being full of emptiness and thus potential first. 336 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:44,330 If you enjoyed this video, please make sure to check out our full philosophies for life 337 00:24:44,330 --> 00:24:49,509 playlist and for more videos to help you find success and happiness using ancient philosophical 338 00:24:49,509 --> 00:24:52,120 wisdom, don’t forget to subscribe. 339 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:54,309 Thanks so much for watching.