Blogging my Sartre reading...

I'm running into numerous "challenges" shall we call them now that I'm working, am in school, and I'm trying to head up the Democratic Party here in Henry County. One of those "challenges" is time. Like in that there isn't enough to do all the things you want or should do in order to get the quality you desire/require.

I don't call them "problems" because I wouldn't trade these kinds of "problems" in for the world. I realized this afternoon that both of my papers are due at the beginning of next week. Which means we're going backpacking for my birthday and I'll be writing philosophy papers in the woods--gee tough life!

Anyhow I'm going to blog my Sartre reading... notes/transcription with my questions in quotes... We have to email our questions on the text in the night before the lecture...

Needless to say this is a work in progress and will add to as I have time tonight...
-------------

Jean-Paul Sartre "existentialism is a humanism" notes

the purpose of this lecture is to defend existentialism against some charges that have been brought against it

1. it has been blamed for encouraging people to remain in a state of quietism and despair

what is quietism?

this avenue of critique is most often pursued by the Communists

2. others attack existentialists emphasis on what is despicable about humnaity... exposing the sordid, suspicious, and base; ignoring beauty and the beauty of human nature

3. other challenges... existentialists [exis.] overlook humanity's solidarity and consider man an isolated being ---> this claims the Communist is the reason exis. is based on pure subjectivity--the Cartesian I think

what direction does Sartre take Descartes thought? Why was Descartes so influential in France or is that a misnomer I have?

Christians attacak exis. for denying the reality and validity of human enterprise
existentialism ---> a doctrine that makes every human life possible and also affirms that every truth and every action imply an environment and a human subjectviity

* at the time of this lecture 10.29.45 existentialism is being associated with something ugly...

response to this "uglyness" --> those who see it as ugly are scared/terrified of existentialism's optimism and therefore call it "ugly"

existentialism offers men the possibility of human choice

whats the problem with biological approaches rather than metaphysical approaches to "choice" and "freedom"--this goes for everyone post enlightenment that sticks to language and fears to tread in biology not just Sartre. Having said that I wonder about Sartre's writings on the sciences...

The word exitentialism itself is being so loosely applied [now] that it has come to mean nothing at all




-----
p22

Atheistic existentialism is more consistent---> it states that if God does not exist there is at least one being in whom existence precedes essence--that being is man.

Wait a minute...

If God does exist there is at least one being whom existence precedes essence--that being is God... or am I missing something?

"existence precedes essence? --> man first exists --he materializes in the world, encounters himself, and only afterward defines himself

man can't be defined because he is nothing to begin with and only becomes what he makes of himself ---> no human nature because there is no god to conceive of it

man is both what he conceivies himself to be and what he wills himself to be

The first principle of existentialism: man is nothing other than what he makes of himself --> referred to as subjectivity

p23
----


--------------
Jim Nichols
A Speculative Fiction
www.JimNichols4.com