Jean-Paul Sartre's Definition Of The Self

Throughout history, philosophers have debated about a predetermined essence of the self. A vast amount of these philosophers have argued for the immorality of the soul and for its composition to be something different than that of the body, placed within us in order to make us human. With these theories, the prime source of evidence is God, or some other spiritual entity directing the fate of humankind in one way or another. Jean-Paul Sartre has a different approach to this, arguing that we alone are responsible for what is to come next and that our essence is entirely what we make of ourselves. This essay will argue that Sartre’s definition of the self is correct in that he focuses on the centrality of human choice and the existence of man …show more content…
Because we have freedom to choose, we are the only ones there to take responsibility for not only our own actions, but that of mankind as well. Sartre is considered to be a humanist. Meaning, he focuses on the dignity of the human race in terms of its ability of free will. This is central to Sartre’s definition of the self. He also focuses on this in terms of the whole race. Because there is no God, there is no one to take responsibly. Our choices will define who we are and all of mankind as a whole. We are responsible for the future of mankind (Sartre 321). Iddo Landau of Philosophy Today expands on Sartre notion of freedom, demonstrating the limits of this concept. Landau points out these limitations in freedom by demonstrating that while a person may have the freedom to choose, the freedom to obtain is entirely out of their control (Landau). Sartre is aware of these limitations and accounts for them by providing an antidote of a boy who has to chose between staying with his mother and fighting for his country (Sartre 322). Sartre knows that in this scenario there might not necessarily be a “good” choice to make. Because there is no God, there is no one there to help him make his choice. Sartre realizes that because of the limitations and because nothing is predetermined, the boy cannot change his situation, he can only chose one or the other. Similarly, this freedom of choice affects the relationship between the self and the world. Because mankind can choose, mankind can determine the future of the world. This is not to say, that to be a self requires the reliance of others, only that we do all interact in one way or another. Ultimately, the central focus of the self according to Sartre is human