1. EXISTENTIALISM

2. Religion vs. Philosophy
Can be philosophical but doesn’t need to be
Has rituals/ceremonies
Makes use of reason (sometimes), but relies mostly or entirely on faith
Based on faith in God, gods, or religious principles
Often includes miracles or miraculous events

3. Religion vs. Philosophy
Can be religious but does not need to be
No rituals
Emphasizes the use of reason and critical thinking
Based on rational arguments
No miracles

4. Religion vs. Philosophy
Common Ground
Both wrestle with problems like:
What is good?
What does it mean to live a good life?
What is the nature of reality?
Why are we here and what should we be doing?
How should we treat each other?
What is really most important in life?

5. World War II
Germany started World War II by invading Poland on Sept. 1, 1939
Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany – Sept. 3
Within a month, Poland was defeated and divided between Germany and Russia
Germany then invaded Norway and Denmark

6. World War II
May 10, 1940 – Germany began its assault on western Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France)
Germany attacked France from the north – Italy attacked from the south – Germans closed in on Paris
June 17, 1940 – Marshal Henri Petain (French military commander) told his country “we must stop fighting”

7. World War II
Four days later, Hitler handed French officers his terms of surrender – Germans would occupy the northern part of France, and a Nazi-controlled puppet government would be set up at Vichy in southern France
Dec. 11, 1941 – U.S. declared war on Italy and Germany
In late 1942, Germany took over all of France

8. Europe – 1942

9. World War II May 7, 1945 – Germany signs unconditional surrender
Sept. 2, 1945 – Japan signs unconditional surrender
During World War II, French people were under control of the Nazis and feared that they had lost their country and their heritage forever.

10. Nobel Prize for literature in 1964
Jean-Paul Sartre
Nobel Prize for literature in 1964
“for his work which, rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom, and the quest for truth, has exerted a far-reaching influence on our age”

11. Biography Born in Paris – June 21, 1905
Grew up in the home of his maternal grandfather
Educated in Paris
Inducted into the French military following the outbreak of European war in 1939 (World War II)

12. Biography
Captured in June, 1940 and imprisoned into 1941 by the Germans
Germans released him on the grounds that he was not physically fit for military service
Taught philosophy
Active in the French Resistance
Developed existentialism (a philosophy) during Nazi occupation of France

13. Biography Existentialism gained a large following
Sartre gave up teaching in 1945 and founded a political and literary magazine
Existentialism maintained an enormous following even after World War II
After World War II, Sartre moved away from existentialism and became more involved with Marxism

14. Biography
Rejected the 1964 Nobel Prize in literature, explaining that to accept such an award would compromise his integrity as a writer
Died April 15, 1980
More than 25,000 people lined the streets of Paris for his funeral procession

15. Existentialism
A philosophy developed by Sartre during the Nazi occupation of France
The philosophy makes sense in the time frame
Consider the lack of freedom in France
Think about how the French felt, thinking their freedom and heritage had been taken forever
They had a feeling of hopelessness
Existentialism gained popularity because it gave the people a feeling of power over their lives and their world
Existentialism also gave people a feeling of individuality against the conformity of Nazism
The Nazi occupation could also explain Sartre’s atheism – how could God allow this to happen?

16. The Principles of Existentialism
Existence Precedes Essence
The prevailing philosophical view of human beings is that they have a “nature” or “essence from birth”
Christianity – we are created by God for a reason
Sartre himself denies the existence of God, and believes there is no human essence (no reason for being)
Sartre argues, however, that there are also Christian existentialists

17. The Principles of Existentialism
Existence Precedes Essence (cont.)
First we exist, then we create ourselves through our actions and decisions
We are nothing more than a collection of acts that make up our lives
When a paper cutter is made, it is made with a purpose – the person who makes it knows that it is a paper cutter and that will be its function
Humans are not made like this – there is no reason for our existence – we are not made for a specific reason or purpose

18. The Principles of Existentialism
Existence Precedes Essence (cont.)
There is no meaning for our existence
But we do exist
This is absurd
Man is thrown into a meaningless world without his permission
My essence, the person I am now, is the product of the free choices I have made in the course of my life so far

19. The Principles of Existentialism
Existence Precedes Essence (cont.)
I am NOT who I was in the past
I am NOT who I will be in the future
Every decision I make changes who I am

20. The Principles of Existentialism
Consciousness
Consciousness always refers beyond itself to an object
“Unreflected consciousness” – consciousness before it is reflected on/thought about
No “I”
Running to catch a bus – unreflected consciousness – “bus-to-be-caught”

21. The Principles of Existentialism
Consciousness (cont.)
“Reflective consciousness” – when you actually think about/reflect on something
You understand your relationship to something
This is where the “I” is found
Once you missed the bus – “I missed the bus; I’m going to be late for school”
Focus is internalized
Suddenly consciousness is self-directed and self-aware, not just observing outwardly

22. The Principles of Existentialism
I Create Myself
My “self” is not a stable, solid entity – it is a creation that I must make and remake from moment to moment
Every decision I make or do not make creates me (it makes me who I am)

23. The Principles of Existentialism
I Create Myself (cont.)
I must also create my world
In choosing for myself, I am also choosing for the world
Every time I make a decision, I am putting values into the world
If I choose to cheat on a test, then I am saying it is ok to cheat. I am putting that value into the world

24. The Principles of Existentialism
I Create Myself (cont.)
If I choose to get married and have children, then I am choosing the value of monogamy for the world
I am not only responsible for myself, I am responsible for the world
Every time I make a decision, I must think “What would happen if everyone looked at things this way?”

25. The Principles of Existentialism
Condemned to be Free
We are free
Freedom is not absolute – if a boulder falls in my way, I cannot change the fact that it is there and I cannot get through it, but I am free to interpret the meaning of the boulder
It may mean an obstacle to be conquered
It may mean that I cannot reach my goal of getting to the top of the mountain

26. The Principles of Existentialism
Condemned to be Free (cont.)
We are always making decisions and creating ourselves and our world
Even choosing not to decide is a decision
We are always free because there are always alternative choices – the ultimate alternative is death – If I do not shoot myself, then I have chosen whatever is the alternative to death
We are condemned to be free – we cannot escape this freedom as long as we are alive

27. The Principles of Existentialism
Condemned to be Free (cont.)
“If God doesn’t exist, everything would be possible” –Fyodor Dostoevsky
This is true
Because there is no God, there are no excuses
There are no values except those that we create

28. The Principles of Existentialism
Bad Faith vs. Good Faith
Most people create themselves and their world in “bad faith”
Rather than facing up to their responsibility and freedom, they flee from it by blaming others or fate
We should act in “good faith”
We should accept responsibility for our actions without blaming other things

29. The Principles of Existentialism
Bad Faith vs. Good Faith
Examples
I didn’t do well on that test because the teacher doesn’t like me and we didn’t go over the homework enough – BAD FAITH
I didn’t do well on that test because I didn’t study or ask for help – GOOD FAITH
I am never going to be successful because I come from a poor family and my parents don’t care about me – BAD FAITH
I can be successful if I make choices that lead me in the direction I choose – GOOD FAITH

30. The Principles of Existentialism
The Gaze
The main complication in all of this is that we must encounter other beings
When someone else looks at me, I become the object of his gaze
I am transformed into object
This is not a good feeling because we have no control over it
“Hell is other people” – Sartre

31. The Principles of Existentialism
The Gaze
Imagine that you are looking through a key hole into someone else’s house. You are spying on them.
The people you are looking at are purely object. You are watching them and seeing what they are doing. They do not know you are there.

32. The Principles of Existentialism
The Gaze (cont.)
As you are watching them, you become aware that someone is behind you – someone has caught you peeping.
You have now become the object to that person.
You have become the “other” – you are now an object to someone else.
You now see yourself as object – as the other person sees you.

33. Criticism of Existentialism
It is pessimistic
Sartre denied this, saying that we are all heroes in existentialism because we persevere
Sartre ignores the lower classes
It is difficult to focus on the issues of existentialism when you are worried about feeding your children and having a place to live
Sartre does not mention or deal with politics or government
These two reasons may explain why Sartre later became a Marxist (Marxism focuses on these two issues)