JEAN PAUL SARTRE ON THE CROSS-ROADS OF ONTOLOGY AND EXISTENTIALISM: ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTUAL SCHEMES

Abstract

Existentialism, a movement and phenomenon of the 20th century, actually has its roots in the preceding one; although insightful thinkers believe its origin goes back to much earlier times. The broad division of the movement includes its theistic and anti-theistic strands although one could as well recognize the agnostic perspective attributed to the likes of Heidegger. This paper focused especially on the anti-theistic strand ably represented by Jean Paul Sartre;. Sartre is a prototype of the atheistic-humanist existentialist movement. He remains an embodiment of the ideological strand and worked hard to popularize the visions of his brand of humanist existentialism. Largely because the atheistic existentialism of Sartre swims against certain pertinent currents of thought, the paper attempted an expository analysis of what it represents. Sartre’s existentialism, as a methodological approach, opts for certain claims that no further endeavor is made to arrive at proof: this is curious irrationalism and invites further interrogations especially from the theistic ideological view point. Sartre’s humanist existentialism makes man the subject of inquiry; and claims, with spirited efforts and apparently fair results, to investigate man in his individuality and inter-subjectivity. It also worked assiduously to project existentialism as a philosophy of consciousness and temporality; and of significance, the capacity for man to choose his way into what he becomes in the atmosphere of radical freedom. However, the emerging-problematic from this school can be said to be multi-pronged in the analyses of conceptual schemes upon which the existentialist edifice is constructed. This borders on the allied concepts of essence and existence and again, on interrogations on the lack or presence thereof, of predications based on a proper ontology.