L3: "Existentialism; Right vs. Left"

NIETZSCHE, HEIDEGGER, SARTRE.

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE. (1844-1900)

Phrase "God is Dead" sparked the end of certainty (no Popper and 'Verification Principle'). Lead the way for freedom of thought; introduction of different aims and different morals which the State decides (oppose Locke and Natural Rights).

The "Ubermensch" (Superman) as Antithesis; the end goal in which we assert our own "Will to Live/"Will to Power" (Schopenhauer) through our freedom of choice/action (Existentialism).

MARTIN HEIDEGGER. (1889-1976) 

"Being and Time" (1927); Right wing view on what it means to exist (the nature of being) which Heidegger labelled "Dasein". He believed that the mind and body together makes understanding impossible. The Anti-Cartesian problem that "we are our minds" and therefore are unable to understand anything beyond it. Berkeley and Hume believed that we can never know.

The concept of "Dasein" refers to the interaction with an external form, such as Creative Writing or Journalism. According to Heidegger, dualism (mind and matter) cannot be possible if "Dasein" exists as this interaction is necessary for acquiring knowledge. For Sartre, "Dasein" is like living as the 'inauthentic self'; denying your own 'will to live' and therefore living in "bad faith". You are merely a social construction instead of living on the basis of choice.

Heidegger described this social construction as 'Facticity'; "we are thrown into the world." We are born at a certain time, in a certain place and therefore, the element of choice can sometimes be eradicated. This agrees with Locke's concept of a "blank slate"; as we already have a past, it is our future that defines us (Existentialism).


vs. JEAN-PAUL SARTRE. (1905-1980)

Left wing/Kantian view that "existence precedes essence". We create our own purpose (agreement with Nietzsche) as there cannot possibly be a divine spirit or driving force. Stuff happens without reason and to think one thing causes another is simply "absurd" (agreement with Hume). 

1. Abandonment; there are no divine set of rules and no divine being that guides us.
2. Anguish; Humans are "condemned to be free" (agreement with Rousseau). We cannot choose our past, but we can determine our future.
3. Despair; external becomes obstacle to our personal goals. State maintains absolute control ('Totality'). 

To live in "Bad Faith" is to think that your past determines your future (guilt).  And in reality we act out roles, similar to that of a "Mechanical Robot" Sartre believes, that instead, our actions should be self-determined as we are free beings who make free choices; "you are free, therefore choose."


FRANTZ FANON (1925-1961)

Agreement with Sartre that violence is necessary to overthrow the state. Though he believed war to be "the wretched of the earth", he claimed that direct violence would lead the way to revolution. 

Aim to eradicate 'totalitarianism' as he believed it turned people into "Passive Zombies" that were exempt from the expression of choice; sense of freedom an 'illusion' (Descartes). Argued that the west exercised control through the manipulation of the mind ("Counterculture" and LSD). Process of Decolonization; destruction of one society for the sake of another. 

"Colonialism is violence in it's natural state and it will only yield when confronted with great violence."

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THE MORAL ASCENT IN KIERKEGAARD. (page 233, AK)

(1813-1855) "Either/Or" (1843) Pessimistic view of the human condition that was influenced by Schopenhauer. The aesthetic person is governed by their feelings/impulses. For Kierkegaard, they are a cultured, law abiding person with consideration for others. This would limit his/her freedom of choice as their duty becomes an obstacle to getting what he/she wants. Agreement with Fanon that our freedom is a 'delusion'.

This, in turn, would lead to Sartre's third stage of humanity; Despair, as the individual would have no aspiration for achieving anything higher. Through 'Renunciation' (abandon the will to live), we take the 'ultimate leap of faith' to reclaim our individuality.

Ethics and Aesthetics.

Aesthetics precedes the ethical/moral as we deny ourselves freedom. According to Kierkegaard, we remain in a state of "Permanent Pregnancy" whereby we never reveal (give birth to) our 'true' selves. From an ethical perspective it is what a person becomes that defines him/her.

Socrates as the prime example of an ethical man. An individual who is aware of their weaknesses, but overcomes them through the 'strength of will' ("Ubermensch"). Religion acts as the only escape. We must take this spiritual "leap of faith" to break free from the hold society has on us. 

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Source:
Kenny, Anthony 'Philosophy in the Modern World' (2007)