Abstract
The turn from the language of policy to the language of existentialism may be unsettling. But as we have thus far seen, where certain educational policies tend to be clear, coherent and concise, they are also underlined by a technicist logic that fails to fully capture the lived experiences of teaching. Existentialist philosophy might also appear to be technical, given that it is ripe with terminologies that jar with our everyday way of speaking. Unlike policy, however, its aim is not to reduce human experience to its most explicit or measurable formats (in an effort to standardise ways of speaking), but rather, to expand our understanding by creating new terminologies that give access to previously unarticulated aspects of human life. Such stylised terminologies are required in order to call into question a range of problematic ideas ingrained within the technicist discourses of teaching – the subject-object distinction, the dichotomisation of fact and value, the separation of cognitive processes from engagement in action. In this chapter, I will offer a brief (and certainly insufficient) overview of existentialist thought, before turning to one of the key figures that will occupy the rest of the book – namely, Jean-Paul Sartre.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
In brief, Saeverot’s (2013) text, Indirect Pedagogy, mainly focuses on how an existentialist form of education can be fostered in the classroom through the pedagogical approaches. Whilst relevant for the discussion here, my focus is somewhat different – namely, in its concern with how one might account for the experiences of teaching.
- 2.
Gordon (2016) draws on several of these, including Sartre’s novel Nausea, which he argues can serve as a metaphor for the dehumanising force of technology in recent history.
- 3.
Perhaps most notably in Kierkegaard (2009). Earlier philosophical approaches, however, such as the Stoics and Epicureans also saw philosophy as a way to ensure a ‘flourishing life’ rather than merely being an intellectual pursuit in and of itself, and thus in some sense exemplifies a similar approach to existentialist thought.
- 4.
Of course, such changes are gradual, and the apparent upheaval that disenchantment characterises may be related to the general zeitgeist of an era (defined in retrospect) rather than the result of a sudden and radical overhaul of earlier ways of thinking.
- 5.
There are, of course, contrasting views on these topics amongst each of the ‘French’ existentialists. The post-colonial scholar, Edward Said (1993, p. 208) referred to Camus’ writing as ‘incapacitated by colonial sensibility’. Sartre and Beauvoir were both vocal about their support for Algerian independence, something which (perhaps indirectly) led to a rift between the thinkers that was never quite solved during Camus’ lifetime. Sartre has often also been accused of sexism in both his writing and his personal conduct (e.g. Rowley, 2006) and this of course contrasts with de Beauvoir’s (2010; 2018) direct discussions on patriarchal society in The Second Sex.
- 6.
But also, to a certain extent, theistic existentialists like Kierkegaard who argue that God is Absurd, and as such faith is something we must continually renew and commit ourselves to as individuals.
- 7.
For Camus (2005), this was not strictly speaking ‘philosophy’, but ‘life’, where choosing to live becomes the ultimate revolt against the instinct of suicide in our lives, analogous with the seductiveness of nihilism.
- 8.
As discussed in the Introduction, this is not to deny the controversial aspects of Sartre’s own life, which writers such as Rowley (2006) have accounted for. The debate as to whether or not these actions are manifest in his thought is not one I entertain here, although it is an important consideration. In line with a more ‘post-critical’ reading of Sartre, my aim is instead to focus on his ideas, and the extent to which they resonate with our thinking today, given that such ideas are not solely encased within a singular time period or a singular mind.
- 9.
Although she is often immediately linked with Sartre or is seen as someone who merely ‘applied’ his ideas to feminist ethics, Beauvoir is most certainly a philosopher in her own right. This has been the focus of a recent publication on Beauvoir’s life, Becoming Beauvoir, where the author, Fitzpatrick (2020) convincingly argues that the hierarchisation of Sartre over Beauvoir throughout history is grounded in sexism. I am often asked why I chose to write a book on Sartre rather than Beauvoir, and to be honest, I don’t have a good enough answer for this. Is the question itself also a form of sexism (because I myself am a woman, I must therefore write about Beauvoir and not Sartre!)? Or perhaps it is simply a call to more fully appreciate a thinker who has been in some ways denigrated to the mere ‘companion’ of Sartre?
- 10.
Les Temps Modernes was staunchly against political neutrality and contained a number of key essays from important thinkers such as philosophers Aron and Merleau-Ponty (both of whom were early members of the editorial board), novelists and playwrights Beckett and Genet, as well as Sartre and Beauvoir themselves.
- 11.
In Being and Nothingness, he refers to ‘phenomenological ontology’, where he expands his phenomenological account to give a more fundamental description of Being.
- 12.
Raymond Aron, Sartre’s friend and mentor, introduced Sartre to Husserlian phenomenology by stating that ‘if you are a phenomenologist, you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy out of it!’, which appealed greatly to the young Sartre who had been somewhat disenchanted by the abstract nature of philosophy. See: Blakewell, 2016 and Rowley, 2005.
- 13.
The later Sartre introduces the concept of ‘counter-finalities’, where we may try to live in accordance with our fundamental values and yet unforeseeable consequences that go against these values arise as a result of our (in)action. For instance, perhaps I stop buying coffee in order to disrupt the perpetuation of capitalism. But perhaps this adversely affects those most disadvantaged by capitalism, therefore increasing the inequality that was the very reason why I abhor capitalism in the first place. Counter-finalities are distinct from bad faith in that they are made in ‘good conscience’, and yet they represent a quasi-tragic tension of intention and consequences, thus presenting a more complex picture of individual freedom and responsibility.
- 14.
For instance, I might sincerely decide not to buy coffee any longer because of my awareness of the damage I am causing as a result. But if my purpose in doing so is to simply feel better about myself or so that I can gloat to others, or if I convince myself that by cultivating a ‘sincere disposition’, I will always be in a position of ‘good faith’, then I have not, in fact, avoided being in bad faith.
References
Barrett, W. (1962). Irrational man: A study in existential philosophy. Anchor Books.
Blakewell, S. (2016). At the existentialist café: Freedom, being, and apricot cocktails. Chatto & Windus.
Bonnett, M. (1994). Children’s thinking: Promoting understanding in primary schools. Continuum International Publishing Group.
Camus, A. (1957). Nobel banquet speech [online]. Available at: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1957/camus/speech/. Accessed 13 Apr 2020.
Camus, A. (2005). The myth of Sisyphus and other essays. Penguin Classics. Originally published in 1942.
Carlisle, C. (2019). Philosopher of the heart: The restless life of Søren Kierkegaard. Allen Lane.
de Beauvoir, S. (2005). Memoirs of a dutiful daughter. Harper Perennial.
de Beauvoir, S. (2010). The second sex. Vintage Classics. Originally published in 1949.
de Beauvoir, S. (2018). The ethics of ambiguity. Open Road Media. Originally published in 1947.
Fitzpatrick, K. (2020). Becoming Beauvoir. Bloomsbury Academic.
Gordon, M. (2016). Existential philosophy and the promise of education: Learning from myths and metaphors. Peter Lang.
Grosby, S. (2013). Max Weber, religion, and the disenchantment of the world. Society, 50, 301–310.
Kierkegaard, S. (2009). Concluding unscientific postscript to philosophical fragments: A mimical-pathetical-dialectical: An existential contribution. Cambridge University Press. Originally published in 1846.
Kierkegaard, S. (2015). The concept of anxiety: A simply psychologically oriented deliberation in view of the dogmatic problem of hereditary sin. Liverlight.
Kneller, G. F. (1958). Existentialism and education. Philosophical Library.
Nietzsche, F. (1974). The gay science, with a prelude in rhymes and an appendix of songs (W. Kaufman, Trans.). Random House. Originally published in 1882.
Nietzsche, F. (1997). Thus spoke Zarathustra. Penguin Classics. Originally published in 1883.
Nietzsche, F. (2010). The anti-Christ. (W. Kaufman, Trans.). SoHo Books, Originally published in 1895.
Nietzsche, F. (2013). On the genealogy of morality (W. Kaufman, Trans.). Penguin Classics. Originally published in 1887.
Rowley, H. (2006). Tête-à-tête: The tumultuous lives & loves of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre. Harper Perennial.
Saeverot, H. (2013). Indirect pedagogy: Some lessons in existential education (educational futures). Sense Publishers.
Said, E. W. (1993). Culture and imperialism. Chatto & Windus.
Sartre, J. P. (1973). Existentialism and humanism. Methuen Publishing Ltd. Originally published in 1946.
Sartre, J. P. (2000). Words. Penguin Modern Classics. Originally published in 1963.
Sartre, J. P. (2008). Between existentialism and Marxism. Verso Books.
Sartre, J. P. (2010). The imaginary. Routledge Classics. Originally published in 1940.
Sartre, J. P. (2011). Transcendence of the ego: A sketch for phenomenological description (S. Richmond, Trans.). Routledge. Originally published in 1937.
Sartre, J. P. (2018). Being and nothingness: An essay on phenomenological ontology (S. Richmond, Trans.). Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Originally published in 1943.
Taylor, C. (1991). The ethics of authenticity. Harvard University Press.
Tocqueville, A. (2003). Democracy in America: And two essays on America. Penguin Classics. Originally published in 1835.
Weber, M. (2010). The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Oxford University Press. Originally published in 1905.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Brady, A.M. (2022). Navigating Vocabularies: Transitioning from Policy to Existentialism. In: Being a Teacher. Contemporary Philosophies and Theories in Education, vol 19. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7323-9_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7323-9_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-19-7322-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-19-7323-9
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)