Sartre

Chapter 9 of Ten Theories of Human Nature discusses Sartre, the famous existentialist philosopher, and his concepts. His major theory is about human freedom, in that we are more free than we think we are. Most people see their lives as a collision of unavoidable occurrences (going to school, being late for work, running out of coffee, etc.), and therefore are trapped as a victim of circumstance. "I can't leave him" a girl in an abusive relationship cries; "I have to study" moans the overwhelmed student; "I need to eat something" the hungry man says. All of these statements (and the countless others that are possible) are statements of captivity to one's situation. What Sartre wants the world to realize is that we are who and where we are by choice. One chooses to study because the consequences would be a failed test and undesirable effects to follow; however, one could choose to not study and face the consequences. Same goes for the food illustration--when one is hungry, he/she has the option of eating and satiating the hunger or not eating and enduring the body's breakdown. Sartre wants the world to see that the chains of bondage are actually an illusion.

I agree with Sartre to an extent. I believe we as humans victimize ourselves far too often and live lives guided by mirages. For example, take freshmen guys living in Mabee. Curfew is at midnight, every guy knows that. If at 12:30am, one guy gets hungry, he feels helpless because he thinks he can't leave the building. It's a subconscious constraint that he places over himself. Sartre desires that boy to consciously see that he has the capability to walk out the doors, however, he will also have to suffer the consequences. This is something that we could learn to do better--to see the world as it really is, not how we assume it is.

The area in which I disagree with Sartre is his extent of control. He believes we have control over every aspect of our lives, and I simply disagree. I disagree because of relationships, both of friendship and of love. Try to understand why you love the people you do, and you will soon realize how irrational your behavior is. It is impossible to make someone else love you thoroughly and genuinely. I think Sartre was on to something with his existential philosophy, but I think he takes it too far.