PHI argument 3

Sartre argues

Human beings are fundamentally free and must define themselves through their actions

Sartre quotes

1- “man is nothing else but what he makes of himself”
2- “man is responsible for what he is”

Sartre reasoning

-no predetermines human nature

-people cant justify their actions by appealing to external factors/biology

-every choice helps defining oneself

-humans are always accountable for their actions, whether they acknowledge it or not

1) Bad faith- Beauvoir argues

human behavior is not determines by biology/nature

1) Bad faith- Beauvoir quote

“we have nothing to do here with the laws of nature”

1) Bad faith- Beauvoir reasoning

-the roles and excuses people rely on are not natural or inevitable

-roles are socially constructed and chosen

-when people claim complacency, they deny their own freedom and treat their actions as determined rather than chosen

2) Love- Beauvoir argues

nature does not determine the roles men and women take in love

2) Love- Beauvoir quotes

“we have nothing to do here with the laws of nature”

“the word love has by no mean the same sense for both sexes”

2) Love- Beauvoir reason

-the roles in a relationship are not determined by biology

-roles are socially constructed and reinforced over time (EXAMPLE)

-when people treat unequal relationships as “natural” they ignore the fact that these dynamics are created and maintained through choice

3) Ethics- Beauvoir argues

moral behavior cant be justified as natural

3) Ethics- Beauvoir quote

“we have nothing to do here with the law of nature”

3) Ethics- Beauvoir reason

-actions such as inequality cant be excused as part of human nature

-people learn through experience their values

-it must be understood as choices that people make