Existentialist Freedom, Distorted Normativity and Emancipation

Baiasu, Sorin

Abstract

Usually associated with a view of freedom as absolute, Sartre’s philosophy seems particularly able to account for the indeterminacy that we experience today in most areas of human experience that have a normative dimension. Without denying that this is a plausible reading, it will be argued here that it is nevertheless a problematic interpretation. On this reading, existentialism seems unable to account for the fact that we are powerfully conditioned by a significant number of factors, which limit our freedom and, in certain situations, make emancipation a normative requirement. It is held here that this problem can be addressed and a less problematic interpretation of Sartre can be defended, once we start to acknowledge that in Sartre we have a variety of notions of freedom that can provide a robust account of our freedom, of authentic choice and of responsibility.

Citation

Baiasu, S. Existentialist Freedom, Distorted Normativity and Emancipation. Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 5(3), 874 -894

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Nov 3, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: May 26, 2023
• Journal: Oñati Socio-Legal Studies
• Print ISSN: 2079-5971
• Publisher: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law Foundation
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 874 -894
• Keywords: existentialism, normativity, freedom, emancipation, Sartre, Existentialism, normativity, freedom, emancipation, Sartre, Existencialismo, normativismo, libertad, emancipación
• Publisher URL: https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/458
• Related Public URLs: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2622045
• Additional Information: Also found at;; Oñati Socio-Legal Series, Vol. 5, No. 3, 2015