Summary and Response
Sartre as teacher believes that doctrines should be based on the one truth. And the absolute truth, according to him, is rooted in the man. Through the mediation, one can get closer to the absolute truth. Sartre’s theory is about the dignity of man and he does not treat the man as an object. Contrary to materialists, existentialists value humans. For Sartre, humans are isolated from the material world but never isolated from other men. The subjectivity of the individual is significant. Moreover, he sees the world around us as intersubjective. The man’s existence in this world is a necessity that has its limitations. These limitations postulate a universal purpose for all humans.
Sartre’s teachings are based on the real and only truth and he discards most of the theories made by other great thinkers. Especially those theories that suppress the truth the way Sartre sees it. This teacher believes that all doctrines should be based on the one truth, otherwise they serve nothing. When we come know the true, we can think of the probable. Thus, the absolute truth, according to him, is rooted in oneself. The man and his deeds largely depend on the others’ recognition. Sartre claims that the subjectivity of the individual is important.
Sartre’s theory goes about the dignity of man. Existentialism, contrary to materialism, does not treat the man as an object. If for materialists the man always acts according to his predetermined actions, then for existentialists the values of humans are important. Sartre sees humans isolated from the rest of the material world. But his man is never isolated from other men and his condition exists together with the world. Also, the man and his deeds largely depend on the others’ recognition. Sartre claims that the subjectivity of the individual is important.
His theory teaches that only through the mediation can the man get closer to the absolute truth about himself and the others. The role of the other is crucial to a degree that the man discovers himself through the other man. The world around us is intersubjective and humans have the right to decide and choose how they want to live. Also, being in this world is seen as a necessity, like, working, living and dying there. These may be observed as limitations, but they are fully objective and subjective, both at the same time. Objective – they can be easily recognized; subjective – because every man lives them.
These limitations postulate a purpose in our lives – that says about dealing with all the limitations. The purposes in life are similar for all the humans and they can be easily understood by all the people. Those purposes are universal and, hence, comprehensible. Existentialism speaks to us about the free commitment of man. Similar to the purpose, the commitment is understandable to all.
I think Sartre’s argument that humans are fully responsible for their character is universal, however, some might find that argument hard to sustain. Taken that humans have a free will to live how they want, they are bound to certain limitations, according to existentialism. All the human characters can have different exposures. In any society, humans should treat each other with a due respect. This is a normalcy perceived by others. But what to do, when a person cannot control himself and be responsible for his character is still a question.
We can come across the characters who are perceived as good, evil, etc. I think that a normal character of the man is characterized by his ordinary actions. In ordinary life situations, the human character is about being regular. Conversely, in stress situations the human character can show off all of its negative qualities, which might be hard or impossible to bear by others. Some people can control their high emotions but others fail to do so.
I believe that the majority of us, humans, are weak, and so are typically our characters. Strong human characters denote a strong will and assurance about themselves. Weaker humans are often seen to go with the flow. While their character in routine situations can be predictable, the same character outside the normal situations can be a mystery.
