Transcript Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir
The Ethics of Ambiguity

The way to truth is
not through the
great “systems,” but
through the
embrace of
ambiguity and
paradox, self-study
and self-inquiry.
Existential Angst

We can do virtually
anything we want,
but not everything
we want. We must
make decisions and
yet resist having to
do so. This is a taste
of existential angst.
Freedom

“Man is condemned
to be free.”
An Authentic Life

How is one to find
meaning in a world
devoid of God and
any inherent
meaning? By
choosing to live an
authentic life.
de Beauvoir (1908-1986)

“Lacking a God to
guarantee morality,
it is up to the
individual existent to
create a bond with
others through
ethical action.”
Freedom in Relationship

There are
advantages and
disadvantages to
every state of life,
and where we put
the emphasis says
more about us than
it does about that
state of life!
To Not Choose Is A Choice

We may not know
what to do, that is
the ambiguity, but
we have to, in fact,
choose one way or
the other. Always no
choice will be a
choice.
Freedom and Morality

“To will oneself
moral and to will
oneself free are one
and the same
decision.”
A Growing Freedom

We must grow into
our freedom by
choosing it,
accepting it, and
part of that choosing
and accepting is
coming to terms with
the ambiguity of
things.
Summary

Beauvoir’s
contribution to
existentialism was
her ability to keep
the freedom, while
at the same time
grounding it in
community
responsibility for the
freedom of others.