Sartre takes the next logical step after the ideas of Nietzsche
and Descartes. Namely that man is an evolving creature, not only physically, but
mentally, and that man does think, therefore he is, and with that thinking comes
self-awareness, and the creation of God, in our minds. Showing that god did not
create the universe, but man created the idea of God to rule our universe; and
because of this, there is a God. For Sartre this does not diminish God, but
elevates him as the best man’s ideas can conceive. So logically, the ideas of
man about God are God. His existentialism shows us that it is man’s experiences
and self-awareness which led to the creation of God and morals, which occurred
as man grew from the primate to homo-sapiens. Before this awareness of self,
nothing really existed, except the instinct to survive. Thus reality as we know
it, started when the first beings began painting their hands in caves, and
drawing, showing us that self awareness had been gained.
“For we mean that man first exists, that
is, that man first of all is the being who hurls himself toward a future and who
is conscious of imagining himself as being in the future. Man is at the start a
plan which is aware of himself…” (Ethics,
Sterba j, 2000, p320)
De Beauvoir shows us that while Sartre is correct
in theory, but he forgot that man’s self awareness was only for certain men, at
the exclusion of the “Other”.The other is any group or genders who are
considered to be objects to serve man, and that even though they are also
homo-sapiens, man does not apply the same ethics, and attitudes towards them, as
he does to himself. This she says was done as much by the same process that man
used to create God, but in the case of women, children, and minorities, this
process made them into the“Others”. Others according to man do not have the
capacity to evolve, grow, or live on their own. They are not whole, unless with
a man, for they lack certain graces or drives, that full men have, and thus do
not share the same responsibilities or privileges. De Beauvoir shows us that
many who have been categorized as the Other, would rather be an object without
the responsibility, then that of full citizens in the race of mankind, using the
excuse of being a good object, to get what they need from society. That society
must change from childhood education to politics and everything in between, to
challenge the created image of the other in societies, and yet, seems
pessimistic that this will ever occur.
“Thus humanity is male and man defines woman not
in herself but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being.”
(Ethics, Sterba j, 2000,
p326)
For me, both are correct and complement each other well. Sartre
shows us that evolution comes from our self awareness, De Beauvoir shows us that
the primordial battle of the sexes was fought long ago, and that the dominant
group will ensure that its awareness is the driving force for its societies.
Thus we created God and Morals, and we equally created evil, slavery,
suppression, and bias. Our universe is our own creation, and thus, it is our
responsibility to grow within our own evolution, and create the best of all
possible universes, or the worst, the choice is ours.
and Descartes. Namely that man is an evolving creature, not only physically, but
mentally, and that man does think, therefore he is, and with that thinking comes
self-awareness, and the creation of God, in our minds. Showing that god did not
create the universe, but man created the idea of God to rule our universe; and
because of this, there is a God. For Sartre this does not diminish God, but
elevates him as the best man’s ideas can conceive. So logically, the ideas of
man about God are God. His existentialism shows us that it is man’s experiences
and self-awareness which led to the creation of God and morals, which occurred
as man grew from the primate to homo-sapiens. Before this awareness of self,
nothing really existed, except the instinct to survive. Thus reality as we know
it, started when the first beings began painting their hands in caves, and
drawing, showing us that self awareness had been gained.
“For we mean that man first exists, that
is, that man first of all is the being who hurls himself toward a future and who
is conscious of imagining himself as being in the future. Man is at the start a
plan which is aware of himself…” (Ethics,
Sterba j, 2000, p320)
De Beauvoir shows us that while Sartre is correct
in theory, but he forgot that man’s self awareness was only for certain men, at
the exclusion of the “Other”.The other is any group or genders who are
considered to be objects to serve man, and that even though they are also
homo-sapiens, man does not apply the same ethics, and attitudes towards them, as
he does to himself. This she says was done as much by the same process that man
used to create God, but in the case of women, children, and minorities, this
process made them into the“Others”. Others according to man do not have the
capacity to evolve, grow, or live on their own. They are not whole, unless with
a man, for they lack certain graces or drives, that full men have, and thus do
not share the same responsibilities or privileges. De Beauvoir shows us that
many who have been categorized as the Other, would rather be an object without
the responsibility, then that of full citizens in the race of mankind, using the
excuse of being a good object, to get what they need from society. That society
must change from childhood education to politics and everything in between, to
challenge the created image of the other in societies, and yet, seems
pessimistic that this will ever occur.
“Thus humanity is male and man defines woman not
in herself but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being.”
(Ethics, Sterba j, 2000,
p326)
For me, both are correct and complement each other well. Sartre
shows us that evolution comes from our self awareness, De Beauvoir shows us that
the primordial battle of the sexes was fought long ago, and that the dominant
group will ensure that its awareness is the driving force for its societies.
Thus we created God and Morals, and we equally created evil, slavery,
suppression, and bias. Our universe is our own creation, and thus, it is our
responsibility to grow within our own evolution, and create the best of all
possible universes, or the worst, the choice is ours.