SARTRE - INFLUENCES

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT SIZE=5><B><FONT SIZE=6>SARTRE</FONT><BR> THE EXISTENTIALIST</B></FONT></CENTER><P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>Influences</B></FONT><P> Sartre accepts <A HREF="../11/11f01.html" TARGET="_top">Descartes</A>' consciousness of self as a thinking being but he rejects Descartes' consciousness as thinking substance. His consciousness is intentional, dependent upon objects outside itself. By itself, it is a nothingness. His ideas of conscious being owe much to <A HREF="../21/21f01.html" TARGET="_top">Husserl</A> and <A HREF="../t06/t06b11.html" TARGET="_top">Heidegger</A>, whose ideas he studied in Berlin just prior to the war. His clear distinction between the objects of consciousness and consciousness as an independent nothingness is his own, however. Husserl sees the "objects of consciousness" as somehow constituents of consciousness.<P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR</B></FONT><BR> Sartre discussed all of his writing and ideas with his life-long companion and lover, <A HREF="../t06/t06b07.html" TARGET="_top">Simone de Beauvoir</A>. Her extensive autobiographies provide us much insight into Sarte's thinking as he wrote. He nick-named her Castor (beaver), and claims to have always accepted her advice. Yet, in keeping with their philosophical stance on the importance of freedom and the dangers of possession in relationships, they never married. They agreed that it was important to allow each other "contingent" relationships. Both of them had other lovers at various times.<P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>ACTIVIST</B></FONT><BR> Sartre's radical views and active social conscience led him to become involved in a number of causes. He became a well-known public figure. Like <A HREF="../03/03f01.html" TARGET="_top">Socrates</A>, he was seen by some to exercise a dangerous influence over the thinking of youth. His address to thousands of students at the Sorbonne during the student revolutions of 1968 was seen as inflammatory. His brief association with the Communist Party ended with the Russian suppression of the Hungarian Revolution, but he remained committed to <A HREF="../18/18f01.html" TARGET="_top">Marxism</A>. His later writings tried to develop an "existential Marxism" and towards the end of his life, he aligned himself with radical Maoist groups. The sixties saw him involved in the Algerian struggle for liberation and in opposition to the American involvement in Vietnam. <BR clear=left><BR> <HR width=100%> <A HREF="http://www.creatorix.com.au"><IMG SRC="../creatorix.gif" WIDTH="85" HEIGHT="40" BORDER="0" ALT="Creatorix" align=right></A> </BODY>