Language as Freedom in Sartres Philosophy :: Argumentative Communication Imagination Papers

Language as Freedom in Sartres PhilosophyI argue that Sartre posits language as a medium of discourse that is capable of safeguarding the development of subjectivity and independence. Language does this in a twofold manner on the one hand, it is an action that does not phenomenally alter being, that that has the capacity of altering consciousness on the other hand, language, more particularly compose text, is a mode of communication that is delayed, hence that occurs outside the present, i.e. in a different space and a deferred time. As such, it preserves the subjectivity of two writer and reader. The argument is as follows first, I present Sartres rendering of emancipation and subjectivity in terms of his definition of consciousness of the For-itself and In-itself in Being and Nothingness second, I draw on examples from La Nause to illustrate the fall in between language, consciousness and the expression of freedom and subjectivity third, I refer to The Psychology of Imagina tion and What is Literature? to illustrate further the importance that Sartre places on composition and reading as means to establish a lasting impression of personal freedom and subjectivity in a manner that defies space and time.In this paper I shall argue that Sartre posits language as a medium of communication that is capable of safeguarding subjectivity and freedom. Language does this in a two-fold manner on the one hand it is an action which does not phenomenally alter being, but which has the capacity of altering consciousness on the other hand, language, more particularly written text, is a mode of communication that is delayed, hence that occurs out with the present, i.e. in a different space and a deferred time, and as such it preserves the subjectivity of both writer and reader. I present this argument in the following manner first, I present Sartres definition of freedom and subjectivity in terms of his definition of consciousness of the For-itself and In-self in Being & Nothingness second, I draw on examples from La Nause to illustrate the link between language, consciousness and the expression of freedom and subjectivity third, I refer to The Psychology of Imagination and What is Literature? to illustrate further the importance that Sartre places on writing and reading as means both to freedom and subjectivity.1In Existentialism and Humanism (1946), Sartre states that if God does not exist there is at least one being whose existence comes in the first place its essence, a being which exists before it can be defined by any conception of it.