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Questions tagged [sartre]

For questions about the philosophical work of Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980), a French philosopher and novelist.

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Is atheism a requirement for a consistent existentialist philosophy?

Søren Kierkegaard is generally considered to be the "father of existentialism". This always bothered me, since to me Sartre and Camus are the defining figures of the movement, and it seems that there is no room for God in an existential…
Alan Turing
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Was the European Left confined in a false dichotomy between capitalism and communism?

In the 2004 book "Camus and Sartre: The Story of a Friendship and the Quarrel That Ended It" (link to a brief review/synopsis), the author portrays two of the leading members of the literary class' political left as divided over the following…
mfg
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Does Sartre ever talk about irrelevance?

Does Sartre ever talk about authenticity in terms of irrelevance? I think that authenticity means (amongst other things) both being irrelevant and failing to act: that membership of a group which cannot achieve its goals despite having (relevance)…
user6917
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Does Sartre imitate Kant in moral philosophy?

This is not originally my question but someone deleted their question while I was typing an answer to it. Consequently, I'm reposting the question and then my answer -- n.b., I've changed the title slightly to correct for what I'm guessing he…
virmaior
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What does Sartre mean when he says people are "condemned to be free"?

What did Jean-Paul Sartre mean when he said that because there is no creator, humans are "Condemned to be Free"?
Kenshin
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Does existentialism presuppose the supernatural?

When it comes to debates about the existence of an "all powerful all knowing god" believers and non-believers alike often times both agree that the existence of that god can't be scientifically or empirically disproved. This is attributed to the…
Josh Miller
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On freedom in Sartre's existentialism

I am reading "Existenstialism is a humanism", the text of the famous conference by Sartre in which he explains his own version of existentialism. I think is full of logical inconsistencies, but maybe it's just because I don't understand it or I…
luca a.
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What does Sartre mean by "freedom alone can account for a person in his totality"?

Could you please tell me what is the meaning of Sartre's saying: "freedom alone can account for a person in his totality"? (Genet, 584)
hooshmand
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What is the sense of thinking in Being & Nothingness?

in Kant's philosophy : the noumenon is inaccessible to humans and the phenomenon exists and accessible to humans (is what we live). Sartre in Being and Nothingness criticizes the Kantian philosophy and says that not only is noumenon inaccessible, it…
Angie
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What is the meaning of nothingness in Sartre's ⟪Being and Nothingness⟫?

A head-up: I am from an analytic background, and I have only read continental philosophy via second sources. I am confused about what 'nothingness' mean in Sartre's ⟪Being and Nothingness⟫. Some authors explain that 'nothingness' is the denial of…
Dimen
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Sartre on essence

Yesterday my professor said something that seemed rather strange. Roughly, it was According to Sartre, humans are the only beings that don't have an essence. Now I haven't read Sartre, and I'm not in a position to do so any time soon, so I can't…
Canyon
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Philosophic Puzzle: How to be Non-Hypocratic AND Non-Anarchistic?

Is it possible to always act according to ones moral standards while tolerating hierarchy in society? In other words: If you leave to somebody else the act of making the rules, including immoral ones, then how does this leave room to always act in…
Marcel
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Existentialism and the absensce of free will

One of the most famous doctrines of existentialism formulated by Jean Paul Sartre is that we are absolutely free. Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. (J.P. Sartre, Being and…
Ben
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What is the title of Sarte's essay on eye/sight/vision?

I read an essay by Sartre many years ago. It was an interesting discussion about eye, eyesight and vision. I cannot remember the details, and that's why I want to read it again. Do you know the title of such essay from Sartre?
Ali Alavi
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Does Sartre deny the existence of an excuse?

In L'Existentialisme he writes extensively how since we are born free, condemned to be so in fact, we are only shaped by the actions and choices that we make. With this isolation, does he destroy the idea of placing 'fault' on others?
mymotherthescorpion
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