I T HAS BEEN ARGUED that Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy precludes the possibility of community, or... more I T HAS BEEN ARGUED that Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy precludes the possibility of community, or even any meaningful conception of it. It is alleged that in both the early and later writings we find an ontology inextricably fraught with irresolvable conflict and alienation that is inimical to human community; and the cause is commonly seen to lie in Sartre's recalcitrant ontological individualism and a conception of freedom(s) which are mutually irreconcilable. Antagonism is believed by many critics to be such an intrinsic feature of Sartre's theory of human existence, that not even a utopia (e.g., Marx's classless society) would enable humans to establish fraternal, communai relations among themselves. I will attempt to show that at least in Sartre's later writings one finds a theory that not only does not preclude community, but even offers an ideal of such against a background of a revised theory of man that entails emphasii, on the social dimensions of existence and freedom. I also want to show that Sartre's "individ ualism," i.e., the irreducibility of ontologically distinct individual freedoms or "praxes," does not preclude the possibility of community. On the contrary, we may find that the individuality of freedoms as praxes underlies a Sartrean ideal of a "community of freedom." In the l950's Sartre discussed with Simone de Beauvoir the tension he felt between the requirements of freedom and the need for community; between the need for personal liberty and the need for others.• The ultimate concern or value in Sartre's philosophy is freedom, whether conceived as "le pour-soi" and consciousness in Being and Nothingness or as praxis, the constituent dialectic and the "practical organism" in the Critique of Dialectical Reason. "Everything that I have tried to write or do in my life," Sartre claimed, "was meant to stress the importance of freedom. " 1 Freedom constitutes the very structure of human being even in the later philosophy when human reality is conceptualized in terms of "praxis." Hegelian and Marxist influences notwithstanding, Sartre's ontology of human being is inconceivable without existential freedom. And from an ethical standpoint freedom is, as the source of all values, considered by Sartre most worthy of being the supreme value. In light of this, a community in Sartrean terms would have to be a community of freedom whose life and end is none other than freedom. But Sartre has also conceded that his earlier conceptions of freedom were too
This class is designed to show the free agency of grace and how its purpose is to transform the l... more This class is designed to show the free agency of grace and how its purpose is to transform the lives of people. Time will also be given to how grace works in the context of the church\u27s culture
Part 1 Part 1: Exploring Perplexities of Identity Chapter 2 1. Racism, Historical Ruins, and the ... more Part 1 Part 1: Exploring Perplexities of Identity Chapter 2 1. Racism, Historical Ruins, and the Task of Identity Formation Chapter 3 2. To Be or Not to Be Black: Problematics of Racial Identity Chapter 4 3. Postmodernism, Narrative, and the Question of Black Identity Chapter 5 4. Du Bois and Appiah: The Politics of Race and Racial Identity Part 6 Part 2: In Quest of Community: Sociality and Situated Freedom Chapter 7 5. Of the Quest for Freedom As Community Chapter 8 6. Sociality and Community in Black: A Phenomenological Essay Part 9 Part 3: Historical Crises of Identity and Community Chapter 10 7. Visions of Transcendent Community in the Works of Toni Morrison Chapter 11 8. Paulette Nardal, Race Consciousness, and Antillean Letters Chapter 12 9. The Revival of Black Nationalism and the Crisis of Liberal Universalism Chapter 13 10. Commodification and Existence in African American Communities Part 14 Part 4: Liberalism, Postmodernism, and the Quest for Community Chapter 15 11. Black Philosophy As a Challenge to Liberalism Chapter 16 12. Democracy, Transitional Justice, and Postcolonial African Communities Chapter 17 13. Community: What Type of Entity and What Type of Moral Commitment? Chapter 18 14 Theorizing Black Community
T]he white man has enjoyed the privilege of seeing without being seen; he was only a look….The wh... more T]he white man has enjoyed the privilege of seeing without being seen; he was only a look….The white man -white because he was man, white like daylight, white like truth, white like virtue -lighted up creation like a torch and unveiled the secret white essence of beings.
I T HAS BEEN ARGUED that Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy precludes the possibility of community, or... more I T HAS BEEN ARGUED that Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy precludes the possibility of community, or even any meaningful conception of it. It is alleged that in both the early and later writings we find an ontology inextricably fraught with irresolvable conflict and alienation that is inimical to human community; and the cause is commonly seen to lie in Sartre's recalcitrant ontological individualism and a conception of freedom(s) which are mutually irreconcilable. Antagonism is believed by many critics to be such an intrinsic feature of Sartre's theory of human existence, that not even a utopia (e.g., Marx's classless society) would enable humans to establish fraternal, communai relations among themselves. I will attempt to show that at least in Sartre's later writings one finds a theory that not only does not preclude community, but even offers an ideal of such against a background of a revised theory of man that entails emphasii, on the social dimensions of existence and freedom. I also want to show that Sartre's "individ ualism," i.e., the irreducibility of ontologically distinct individual freedoms or "praxes," does not preclude the possibility of community. On the contrary, we may find that the individuality of freedoms as praxes underlies a Sartrean ideal of a "community of freedom." In the l950's Sartre discussed with Simone de Beauvoir the tension he felt between the requirements of freedom and the need for community; between the need for personal liberty and the need for others.• The ultimate concern or value in Sartre's philosophy is freedom, whether conceived as "le pour-soi" and consciousness in Being and Nothingness or as praxis, the constituent dialectic and the "practical organism" in the Critique of Dialectical Reason. "Everything that I have tried to write or do in my life," Sartre claimed, "was meant to stress the importance of freedom. " 1 Freedom constitutes the very structure of human being even in the later philosophy when human reality is conceptualized in terms of "praxis." Hegelian and Marxist influences notwithstanding, Sartre's ontology of human being is inconceivable without existential freedom. And from an ethical standpoint freedom is, as the source of all values, considered by Sartre most worthy of being the supreme value. In light of this, a community in Sartrean terms would have to be a community of freedom whose life and end is none other than freedom. But Sartre has also conceded that his earlier conceptions of freedom were too
This class is designed to show the free agency of grace and how its purpose is to transform the l... more This class is designed to show the free agency of grace and how its purpose is to transform the lives of people. Time will also be given to how grace works in the context of the church\u27s culture
Part 1 Part 1: Exploring Perplexities of Identity Chapter 2 1. Racism, Historical Ruins, and the ... more Part 1 Part 1: Exploring Perplexities of Identity Chapter 2 1. Racism, Historical Ruins, and the Task of Identity Formation Chapter 3 2. To Be or Not to Be Black: Problematics of Racial Identity Chapter 4 3. Postmodernism, Narrative, and the Question of Black Identity Chapter 5 4. Du Bois and Appiah: The Politics of Race and Racial Identity Part 6 Part 2: In Quest of Community: Sociality and Situated Freedom Chapter 7 5. Of the Quest for Freedom As Community Chapter 8 6. Sociality and Community in Black: A Phenomenological Essay Part 9 Part 3: Historical Crises of Identity and Community Chapter 10 7. Visions of Transcendent Community in the Works of Toni Morrison Chapter 11 8. Paulette Nardal, Race Consciousness, and Antillean Letters Chapter 12 9. The Revival of Black Nationalism and the Crisis of Liberal Universalism Chapter 13 10. Commodification and Existence in African American Communities Part 14 Part 4: Liberalism, Postmodernism, and the Quest for Community Chapter 15 11. Black Philosophy As a Challenge to Liberalism Chapter 16 12. Democracy, Transitional Justice, and Postcolonial African Communities Chapter 17 13. Community: What Type of Entity and What Type of Moral Commitment? Chapter 18 14 Theorizing Black Community
T]he white man has enjoyed the privilege of seeing without being seen; he was only a look….The wh... more T]he white man has enjoyed the privilege of seeing without being seen; he was only a look….The white man -white because he was man, white like daylight, white like truth, white like virtue -lighted up creation like a torch and unveiled the secret white essence of beings.
Uploads
Papers by Robert Birt