Existentialism and Sartre's Theory

          Existentialism is a philosophical movement which puts more focus on individual existence, freedom and choice (Pecorino, 2000). It is a view taken up by scholars who wanted to get rid of the disputes between the materialist and the idealist viewpoints (Pecorino, 2000). Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was one such writer and philosopher who influenced this view very much. His theory holds a special place in Existentialism which gives us a unique perspective on what is real and what is unreal. We will examine the features, strengths and weaknesses of the Existentialist view, and appealing and discouraging parts of Sartre’s Theory in this paper.

          The main feature of Existentialist view is that they see the things from humans’ perspective. They place an individual at the center and explore how that human thinks, acts and feels. They place their ideas on what can be certainly known by humans. It focuses on the fact that first of all a person is an individual and only then he/she is bounded by other social and psychological aspects (Wikipedia, 2013). The strength of Existentialism is that it puts an individual as the main character of determining reality and giving meaning to life, which has been used in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapies by inspirational scholars like Viktor Frankl. The weakness of this view might be that it disregards things beyond human experience which can be taken as simply avoiding disputable things rather than proving something to solve them or help in better understanding.

What is good?

          Good is something we feel is right for us and other people similar to us. This is basically matter of personal opinion. If we think that something is good for us, it does not mean that others will think that too. In fact, what we think is good for others may be considered exactly opposite by the very people. Another thing we have to consider is the situation. Our perception about good is also determined by the influences of the surrounding. What we think “good” in a given scenario may be different under different conditions. Our judgment about right and wrong depends on our personal values as well as environmental influences. Personal values in this sense are about ethics and environmental influences are about socio-cultural influences. Hence, even though good is something “right” to do, it depends on individual perspective and context.

          It is important to consider “what is means to be good?” before moving onto the examples of goodness. Again this is also matter of personal thinking. People will always go for good if they know what is right. So, being good is all about being “right”, not for yourself, but for others. Thus, goodness is all about our acts to show that we are good people and that we do “right” things according to popular beliefs. It again comes to ethics and socio-cultural influence.

          Considering all of the above facts, examples of goodness too depend on our values and the situation. Say as a general example, helping a poor person in any way is an act of kindness which is obviously something good. However, if the person wants to find his/her way out of problems alone, would it still be good to help? Also, there are some universal cases like telling lies is regarded “bad” across the world, but what about a lie that prevents a catastrophe? Again, is it ethical? Is it socially acceptable? The iteration of our thought process goes on and on, the confusion about good and bad still remains, until we realize what is right.

©Dixit Bhatta 2014

Comparing Socrates' Philosophy with Voltaire's

          Since the inception of human civilization, there have been philosophers who have pursued answers to the fundamental ideas related with our lives. Philosophers have investigated abstract things such as thinking, metaphysics, logic, art, religion, knowledge, mind, and ethics and so on. They have inquired answers to the fundamental problems of human life by critical thinking and using rational arguments. And there have been ideas that have been pondered upon by people of different civilizations and time. Out of many philosophers we will compare and contrast the philosophical attitude of two brilliant minds of markedly different time: Socrates and Voltaire.

          Socrates’ attitude about philosophy was mainly dominated by the argument about what is good and the disagreement between people about it. He claimed that people always go for good things. They do wrong because they think that it will do good to them or give them some sort of pleasure. Upon realizing that it is bad, they would not do it anymore. On the other hand, Voltaire’s view, based on the Good Brahmin’s case, stresses on happiness and ignorance. He states that happiness is best achieved when we are ignorant but that kind of happiness is not worthwhile. The Brahmin laments his lack of knowledge about reality and his own existence despite being a learned man. Had he been a “simpleton” he would have had no regrets, yet he does not desire such felicity. This creates a contradiction in itself and raises even further questions.

          As of now, both seem to have different ideas. Nevertheless, if we see things from a different angle, we may still find some similarities between them. According to Socrates, people do wrong things because they think that it will give them happiness. This is analogous to the old lady in Voltaire’s description who was content with the life without knowledge and considered herself the happiest women. If she was educated, she would have never liked such life- a life of illusions. Another similarity between their attitudes towards philosophy is that Socrates used inductive method to develop “universal definitions”, and we can clearly see that Voltaire used the same inductive approach to derive his conclusion from the Good Brahmin’s case. 

References:

Pecorino, P.A. (2000), Chapter 2: The Greeks- Socrates Legacy, An Introduction to Philosophy, Accessed: September 9, 2013 from http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/INTRO_TEXT/Chapter%202%20GREEKS/Socrates_Legacy.htm

Voltaire (n.d.), Story of a Good Brahmin, Translated by: Woolf, H.I., Accessed: September 9, 2013 from http://www.k-state.edu/english/baker/english287/Voltaire-Story_of_a_Good_Brahmin.htm

©Dixit Bhatta 2014