schweblog

For those of you lucky enough to not be that well-read in Sartre and other existentialist philosophers like Heidegger, there’s a pretty interesting proposal that both of them posit. Upon rejecting the possibility of any sort of external cause for the choices you make (essentially elminating the possibility of subconscious triggering action), Sartre argues that one feels a sense of fear and dread in light of this ultimate freedom. He puts it much more eloquently: we are condemned to be free.

The realization that I can’t blame my actions on a poor upbringing, an abusive father, or financial stress is the ultimate weight on a person. While at once freeing, it is almost frighteningly so. Once I realize that only I am responsible for my actions and responses in life, it is overwhelming. This sensation is what Sartre calls angst (a term borrowed, presumably, from Heidegger.)

I’ve been experiencing a fair amount of angst the past few weeks myself. I’m in the middle of a paper on Sartre’s ethics and have been procrastinating profusely. It’s just a few weeks off and it’s the only assignment for the entire class. Granted, it’s just a rough draft right now, but if I blow this one, my grade is pretty much shot. I’d love to be able to blame my work schedule, or my other classes, or something else–anything else–but I realize that all of this is my own doing. It’s my own damn fault I’m being a slacker. And realizing this sucks. I have angst.

On a much lighter note, the schedule for next semester has been released online and my classes are coming along swimmingly. I’m going to finally bite the bullet and get my Greek philosophy class out of the way. However, I’m going to be taking a class on the French Revolution and Russian history (1855-1940ish). I’ll also be teaching a class in the honors forum on revolutionary history and thought. Now I just need this semester to end.