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The Doctrine Of Freedom And Responsibility In Jean Paul Sartre - The Fundamental Principles In An Authentic Existence
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 6]
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Summarizing the general view of the contemporary
philosophers, it can be said that freedom is something that is lived in
any concrete existence. Above all, freedom for me is a human condition
of action, which is devoid of any influence, which impedes human
consciousness or motivates human decision.
1.4 THE PROBLEM OF FREEDOM
Though
freedom is an integral part of man, it has constituted a great and
intricate problem in practice and theory. It has often been debated if
man is in fact free. This debate has become loud in the modern times,
when the rights and freedom of people are infringed on, and when
political and economic oppression held people in chain. Besides, it
seemsthat the freedom of choice is completely absurd since it
contradicts the laws of nature, which the theory of evolution tends to
hold in a deterministic way. This is precisely why William James writes,
I
know of no subject less worn out in which an inventive genius has a
better chance of breaking new ground, of deepening our sense of what the
issue between the two parties really are, of what the ideas of fate and
freewill imply.15
The above statement of James reveals the
problem in reconciling freedom with the idea of fate. Man’s life indeed
reveals some occasions when he is constrained to act in a particular
way. For instance, a man in so far as he is alive is determined to
breathe; he cannot freely choose not to breathe and still remain a
living human being. One may ask if man is really free to act as he has
been directed by the will; whether he should be responsible for his
actions. The issue of freedom is truly controversial; this is why many
thinkers have diverse views on it.
Historically, the Greek
Philosophers did not give any satisfactory answer to the problem of
freedom. “They regarded all things as subject to fate, an absolute will,
superior to man and to gods which consciously or unconsciously
determine an action.â€16
In Christianity, the problem of freedom was
reversed to God, and God was emphasized rather than fate, natural law or
history. As Augustine would say, “There is the God of scriptures to
reveal to us that in man there is the free choice of the willâ€17.
The
opinions that presented God as determining man’s actions began to
emerge in the patristic or medieval period. Hence; Aquinas asked, “how
is it possible to assert that man is free while God is the principal and
ultimate cause of everything?â€18
In the modern era, Philosophers
like Spinoza, Hume and Descartes hold that “human passions and emotions
are propellers of man’s action not free will.â€19
Then, in the
contemporary era, the problem remains how man can be free in a society
in which political systems, communication media, and technological
advancement have become potent instruments of oppression.
In fact, the solution to the problem of freedom lies in the reconciliation of freedom with determinism.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 6]
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