Episode #105 - Sartre and Camus Pt. 6 - The Self
Episode #105 - Sartre and Camus Pt. 6 - The Self
This episode challenges the modern tendency to view the self as a hidden, immutable essence deep within us and instead explores Jean-Paul Sartre’s existential view that the self is not a fixed soul but a dynamic construct shaped by our actions, limitations, and possibilities. Using vivid analogies—from the chaos of infancy to fantasies of heroism and identity—Sartre’s framework of facticity (the facts of our existence) and transcendence (our capacity for change) is unpacked as a constant interplay that defines who we are. Sartre warns against “bad faith,” our habit of denying either our freedom or our limitations to avoid the discomfort of responsibility. The episode also introduces being-for-others, Sartre’s idea that our identity is co-constructed by how others perceive us, cautioning against over-identifying with others’ judgments or our own narratives. Ultimately, Sartre argues that we are what we do—not what we claim to be or feel inside—and understanding ourselves requires looking not inward, but outward, to our choices and their impact in the world.
Further Reading:
Existentialism Is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre (2007)
Sartre's Existentialism and Humanism (SCM Briefly) by David Mills Daniel (2007)
Existentialism and Excess: The Life and Times of Jean-Paul Sartre by Gary Cox (2016)
See the full transcript here.
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