SARTRE'S VIEW OF MORALITY

Sartre's view of morality

Sartre's view of morality

Introduction

"Existence precedes essence." (Sartre, 103) Essentially the atheistic ideology that asserts an unlimited potential for freedom. "Nothing else than the attempt to draw all the consequences of a coherent atheistic position" (Sartre, 111). Some 18th century philosophers like Nietzsche deny God but still contend that there is a "shadow of God" that is prevalent enough to be a basis for our so called collective "human nature."

In Sartre's opinion, the realization that "existence precedes essence" belief lends itself to certain contexts by which we must examine life. The first of which is anguish. "And every man ought to say to himself, am I really the kind of man who has the right to act in such a way that humanity might guide itself by my actions." (Sartre, 104) Anguish in his mind is man's coming to terms with the formidable responsibility he has. That " he is not only the person he chooses to be, but also a lawmaker, who is choosing for mankind as well as himself." (Sartre, 104) In doing so, Sartre acknowledges that one can't help but feel this profound anguish of "total and deep responsibility." (Sartre, 104)

A further consequence of Sartre's existentialist outcome is that of despair. "Given that men are free and that tomorrow they will freely decide what man will be, I cannot stop that...after my death, some man may decide to set up fascism, and the others may be cowardly and muddled enough to let them do it." (Sartre, 106-107) Sartre believes that our focus is best suited to our own lives, and our own sense of morality. "It means that we shall confine ourselves to reckoning only with what depends on our will, given man is free and that there is no human nature to depend upon." (Sartre, 106) So to maintain the idea that man has a natural "concern for the good of society" is just as likely as fascism rising up once again. This fits well with Sartre's overall point that there is no hidden meaning of the world, that we are what we do and the consequences can be good or bad. Many may inhibit a political optimism or liberal idealism that naively assumes human nature will work out for itself, but anything is possible. So the idea that our society is progressing towards a utopia is no more or less true than thinking our society is progressing towards an apocalyptic demise.

Another inevitable consequence of this existential belief is that of forlornness. Meaning "only that God does not exist and that we have to face all the consequences of this." (Sartre, 104) The existentialist finds the absence of God a distressing fact. There's no morals or ethics to abide by. This absence of God results in man being forlorn "because neither within him nor without him does he find anything to cling to." (Sartre, 105) All the values that come with God ...