Sartrean Ethics

Sartrean Ethics

A Defense of Jean-Paul Sartre as a Moral Philosopher

Ben Wood Johnson

Copyright © 2021 by Tesko Publishing/Eduka Solutions. Copyright © 2016 by Ben Wood Johnson.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of very brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN-13: 978–0-9979028-1-5 (ebook)/ISBN-10: 0-9979028-1-7

Tesko Publishing/Eduka Solutions: 330 W. Main St. #214, Middletown, PA 17057, USA

Official website address: www.teskopublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

This book was designed by Xaon Prime Studios

Cover illustration by Wood Oliver

Contents

Preface

Introduction

1. Publications about ethics

The Crux of the Debate

Analysis and Challenges

Conducting a Formal Inquiry

2. Assessing Unfair Criticisms

Treading With Caution

Taking Criticisms Seriously

The Failed Promise

The Importance of Criticisms

3. Assessing Sartre’s True Intent

Arlette Elkaïm-Sartre Clarifies

Outlining My Goals

Refuting the Arguments

Inconsistent Criticisms

Denying Sartrean Ethics

Pseudo-Moral Philosopher

4. Examining Sartrean Ethics

Searching for a Method

Limits

A Simplistic Approach

Examining Posthumous Works

Lack of Theoretical Scheme

Refuting Sartrean Ethics

5. A Household Name

Examining Diverging Positions

Points of Conflict

The Holistic Argument

6. Sartre's Major Works

Important Works About Ethics

Unpublished Materials

Examining the Notebooks

7. The Scope of Sartrean Ethics

The Individual and the Community

Denying Sartrean Ethics

Authentic Individual and Ethics

8. Understanding Sartrean Ethics

A Long Search for Identity

The Link Between Freedom and Ethics

Perception of The Other

The Ontological Experience

9. A Need to Give Sartre Credit

Placing Sartrean Ethics

Describing Sartrean Ethics

The Elusive Sartrean Ethics

10. A Commonsense Approach

Historical Factors

Early Ethics and Freedom

Intentional Acts Versus Being

An Abstract Ethics

Examining the Role of Consciousness

Assessing the Essence of Sartrean Ethics

11. The Effects of Society

Freedom and Society

Society Affects Ethics

Ethical Normative

Mutual Recognition

Morality and Lack

12. A Call for a Better Approach

Mistaken Viewpoints

A Positive Scrutiny of Sartrean Ethics

Sartrean Ethics and Human Existence

Carrying Out My Goals

Final Words

Selected Works about Jean-Paul Sartre

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Also by Ben Wood Johnson

Other Info

Notes

To my mother (Mama)

For guiding my steps, even from beyond the grave.

Preface

You would probably share the view, which purports that there is no dearth of information about Jean-Paul Sartre. He is among the most studied thinkers in human history. The literature is filled with writings that are dedicated to analyzing Sartre and his theories about human ontology, even though many of such publications can be critical and unforgiving toward Sartre and his works.

Many years ago, I attended a course about Jean-Paul Sartre. ¹ As a final project, I had to write an essay that examines the extent of Sartrean ethics. I reviewed several publications about Sartre. I examined views that praised the Sartrean approach to moral philosophy. I reviewed writings that criticized his contribution to the discipline. A few scholarly works caught my attention.

The more I learned about Sartre, the more I realized that criticisms against him [or against his works] can be misplaced. I noticed that critics could be fierce toward Sartre. The common argument is that Sartre played little or no role in moral philosophy. I do not share such a viewpoint. In the present context, I hope to refute this understanding as much as I can. There is enough evidence to suggest that Sartre played a substantial role in the ethical discipline.

While compiling the final project, I consulted blogs, books, magazines, papers, and scholarly articles about Sartre. Although many analysts examined Sartre’s overall achievements in literature, others were critical of the man, including his life choices and his personality. Other works even questioned Sartre’s moral character. ²

I found the literature overly critical of Jean-Paul Sartre. I saw that most contentions against the man centered on his approach to ethics. I could not make sense of criticisms against Sartre. I decided to compile a book, which would help clarify the debate.

After examining the arguments that are often levied against Sartre, I found them derisory. They do not hold up under scrutiny. They do not provide enough insights, which could justify the current trends against the relevance of Sartrean ethics. I have a different outlook regarding that ethics. I wanted to interject that approach in the debate. Throughout this work, I echo that perspective as compellingly as possible.

This text is a way to change the conversation. It is designed to be both informative and intellectually entertaining. The book features an array of viewpoints that could be considered provocative by many readers. The views expressed here could also be considered captivating by others.

Despite potential negative interpretations of my objects in compiling this work, this paperback was designed to be reader friendly. My arguments are intended to engage the reader intellectually. An alternative goal is to promote a smooth reading experience.

Those who are familiar with Sartrean philosophy will get a good sense of the views I echo here. Those who have little or no familiarity with the Sartrean approach to moral philosophy will learn about a side of Jean-Paul Sartre, which is seldom explored in positive terms in the literature. They will uncover the way many people sought to tarnish the Sartrean literary legacy.

Completing this book was daunting. The goal was to satisfy the reader’s curiosity about Sartre. I sought to carry out that aim in the most simplistic method. Another goal was to refute criticisms against Sartre.

I did not want to compile a complicated book. I did not want this work to be too academic; I did not want it to be unsophisticated to a point of having no real clout in the literature. The same, I did not want to compile a book that repeats popular arguments against Sartre. I offer a different approach in the debate. This was not easy, considering that English is not my native tongue.

I wanted to find the right tone to express my concerns. I wanted to outline my views in an acceptable, but also a collegial, manner. I wanted to examine criticisms against Sartrean ethics in the most vivid passion. I sought to carry my thoughts with an innocuous parole. I think I found the right format to make this text captivating.

Agreed, whether I succeed in my efforts will be up to you (that is, the reader) to decide. Anyway, I hope this work will start a substantive conversation about the senseless nature of assaults against Sartre, which generally characterize the discourse on the issue of Sartrean ethics. I hope that it will help you make sense of the current discourse about Jean-Paul Sartre.

In sum, the views I echo in this book are logical. My arguments are concise. But a warning is worth mentioning before we delve in the manuscript. While my positions are laid out analytically, they are not chronological; they are not devoid of my own idiosyncrasies. I encourage you to consider these limits as you make your way through the manuscript.

Good Reading!

Ben Wood Johnson, Ph.D.

January 2021

Updated April 2021

Introduction

Jean-Paul Sartre is under attack. This claim is not hysteria. It is not an exaggeration. It is not hyperbole.

The Sartrean literary legacy in moral philosophy is under siege. I offer a defense of this philosopher. But that defense, I must point out, does not encompass every constituent of the Sartrean literary repertoire. That defense, to be clear, is narrower; it focuses on ethics. ¹

I examine how Jean-Paul Sartre was able to link morality with human freedom. This work, to reiterate, is about the Sartrean approach to moral philosophy. ² The hope is to help settle the ideas, which Sartre often voiced in the domain.

I examine views expressed by prominent scholars, including, but not limited to, David Pellauer, Ji Ruman, Thomas Flynn, Thomas Anderson, Robert Stone, Elizabeth Bowman, Ronald Aronson, Adrian Van Den Hoven, Richard Bernstein, David Detmer, and Heter Storm. The goal is to question arguments, which dominate the literature.

Although this work is subtitled a defense of Jean-Paul Sartre as a Moral Philosopher, it is not a combative stance on Sartre’s behalf. I tried to lay out my arguments as compellingly as possible. Keep in mind that examining Sartrean ethics can be a complex undertaken.

Sartre was a controversial thinker. But not much is known about him. This work questions the relevance of popular assumptions about Sartre and his literary accomplishments. Many of the views that pervade the literature are inaccurate. These criticisms were designed to smear Jean-Paul Sartre.

The present work is not perfect. It might invite speculations about Sartre. But I hope to examine the issues objectively. By contrast, I do not want to incite unnecessary distractions in the debate.

Jean-Paul Sartre died many years ago (April 1980). Some observers might say that his literary legacy is well established. His fame is solidified in popular culture. But it would not be exaggerated to point out that the Sartrean legacy is constantly under attack. It is not clear how long the Sartrean imprint in modern literature will last. Hence, there is a need to defend the Sartrean heritage tooth and nails. In this book, I propose to do just that.

My point is that Sartre is still a relevant thinker in contemporary literature. Sartrean philosophy still has an intellectual merit. There is no need to undermine Sartre; there is no need to undermine his intellectual legacy.

Despite the previous assertion, I recognize that the philosophy, which Jean-Paul Sartre pioneered, is not easy to digest. His works are not easy to discern. Perhaps this is the roots of criticisms against the man; perhaps this is the reason critics often lash out against his works as well. Nonetheless, examining Sartre is a worthy academic effort. Sartrean ethics is an important topic. Bear in mind that apart from ethics, my analysis includes Sartre’s popular works about human ontology, notably existentialism.

Book Structure

This work was originally a voluptuous manuscript. After its initial publication, I decided to republish a streamlined version of the document. Out of that process came three distinct books. They include the present text, Jean-Paul Sartre and Morality (A Legacy Under Attack) and Sartre Lives On. Each compilation is available as separate tomes.

The present volume is divided in twelve chapters. It contains a concluding part, which includes remarks and other notes. The manuscript includes other materials and the sources cited. The final section of the text includes a bibliography and a summary of my major arguments.

The book features several works, which examine Jean-Paul Sartre himself as well as his major philosophical approaches. The document includes appendices and other references. It outlines Sartre’s literary imprint in human history.

The arguments echoed throughout this work are not the results of an exhaustive empirical investigation. Here, nonetheless, I elaborate on Sartre’s major philosophical accomplishments, notably his ideas about human ontology. The text outline criticisms (both productive and destructive remarks) against [or in favor of] Sartrean ethics. The book further echoes the views, which had been recorded by three prominent scholars. These famed commentators include Thomas C. Anderson, Robert V. Stone, and Elizabeth A. Bowman. Keep in mind that the text itself is not based only on the treaties listed by the noted scholars. It includes viewpoints echoed by other commentators. Let us delve deeper in the manuscript.

The Great Debate

This chapter assesses the nub of Sartre’s contribution to literature. The focus here is on his views about morality. The chapter examines Sartre’s recent publications in the field; it explores the crux of the debate. The chapter elaborates on the origin of the conversation against the Sartrean approach to moral philosophy. It hinges on the methods I