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Jean-Paul Sartre was one of the most distinctive and vociferous social critics of the twentieth century. As editor of the French post-war journal Les Temps Modernes, Sartre was able to complement his literary and philosophical views with essays devoted to practical ethical and political issues. The post-war era was one of the most fruitful, exciting and daring periods for Sartre's thinking. His published and unpublished works disclose a striking feature of Sartrean existentialism. The commonly-held view is that existentialism champions radical individualism and disparages community, social roles and civic participation. This book challenges this received wisdom, showing that Sartrean existentialism is in fact a deeply social philosophy. T. Storm Heter demonstrates the vitality of Sartre's landmark essays 'What is Literature?' and 'Anti-Semite and Jew', and reveals the importance of the 'Notebooks for an Ethics', a rich and often ignored manuscript containing Sartre's most extensive discussion of ethical and political concepts. Drawing on these sources, Heter argues that Sartrean authenticity is an ethically and politically important virtue. Contrary to popular belief, the virtue of authenticity is not a mere codeword for sincerity and personal acceptance. Authenticity requires interpersonal recognition and group participation. We cannot be authentic in a vacuum, for the very dynamic of authenticity requires that others recognize our authentic identities. This book not only defends Sartrean ethics against charges of formalism, emptiness and extreme subjectivism, but also shows that authenticity is an important civic virtue, relevant to the social and political institutions of the modern world.
E-Book Content
Sartre’s Ethics of Engagement: Authenticity and Civic Virtue
T Storm Heter
Continuum
Sartre's Ethics of Engagement
Continuum Studies in Continental Philosophy Sartre's Phenomenology David Reisman Deconstruction and Democracy Alex Thomson Derrida and Disinterest Sean Gaston Heidegger and the Place of Ethics Michael Lewis Deleuze and Guattari's Philosophy of History Jay Lampert
Sartre's Ethics of Engagement:
Authenticity and Civic Virtue T Storm Heter
continuum O N D O N • NEW YORK
Continuum International Publishing Group The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX 80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704, New York, NY 10038 www.continuumbooks.com © T Storm Heter 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. T Storm Heter has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 0 8264 8781 5 (hardback) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Typeset by Aarontype Limited, Easton, Bristol Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall
for Miriam
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Contents Preface Abbreviations
viii ix
1. Introduction
1
2. Freedom
8
3. Self
22
4. Recognition
35
5. Bad Faith
63
6. Authenticity
75
7. Engagement
102
8. Recognition in Groups
118
9. Civic Virtue
133
10. Morality
144
11. Conclusions
155
Index
160
Preface This work is a defence of Sartrean ethics. As is well known, Sartre's ethical thoughts are scattered and incomplete. He promised hi