Book 38 - Donald D. Palmer "Sartre for Beginners"

[jazzy_dave]

Donald D. Palmer "Sartre for Beginners" (Writers And Readers)




I love these books. Have I mentioned that little factoid? It’s so good. I don’t know what it is about the union of philosophy and comics but it’s just amazing, well, in my mind anyway.

I have tried reading about Sartre and understanding him a few times and I think this is one of the better texts. I think this time I got a pretty good grasp on the subject.

Some ideas/thoughts that I really liked…

Each human being is alone, “abandoned,” and free. Each human being creates and re-creates his or her essence in every moment through his or her choices and actions.

Sartre’s view is that we never, or hardly ever, confront reality (Being-in-itself) directly, but only through the medium of human institutions, which in fact camouflage rather than reveal reality. Human thought is in fact usually about thought. It is a system of infinite self-referentiality, unequipped to refer beyond itself to real existence. It is for this reason that Sarte has Roquentin say that the word existence designates nothing.

According to Sartre, most people choose an aspect of themselves, and then claim that because of their feature of their personality, they have no choice but to behave as they do.

The self is an ongoing construction recreated in each moment through our choices.

Comments

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

I first parsed this as Satire for Beginners.

[thespian15.livejournal.com]

Sounds very "deep".
Hugs, Jon

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

OHhhh...interesting. May have to give this a read. O_O

*HUGS*

[maxauburn.livejournal.com]

I agree- this sounds fascinating!

[kabuldur.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this, Dave. I really liked it!

What are the 'human institutions', btw?

Does sounds like a good way to understand Satre and other philosophers.

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

In essence the human institutions Sartre defines is that through human language, rather than animalistic grunts, and such institutions would be of the law, society,culture and education. That is human created structures to deal with reality.

[kabuldur.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks for your explanation, Dave. I thought of one human institution, namely the church :)

Interesting thought. I often think about how we think in words, and if we didn't have words, would we think at all?

Now, is there one for of those books for Heidegger?