UNDERSTANDING THE SELF Being-In-Itself (en-soi) – being as it is

and what it is. “It is what it is.”

Introduction: The Self According to Being-For-Itself (pour-soi) – Is co-
Existentialists extensive with the realm of consciousness.
Doing, pursuing, and creating our own
things. It is not what it is, we as a human
Existentialism
have capacity to transcend. “You don’t
Existentialists movement started between submit to what people say.”
16th and 20th century. Nothingness – The consciousness we have
It is a philosophical doctrine or school of is a negation that it all starts from
thought that has complicated concepts and nothingness. All established knowledge and
ideas. truths are not absolute. Started creating
It renders human life possible that affirms your own definition from the start
that every action and truth imply both an (Nothingness).
environment and human subjectivity.
The Self from Heideggerian Perspective
Different viewpoints of existentialists shared
a common thing, and it is the subjectivity Dasein – a German word meaning being-
and authenticity of human. there. For Heidegger it is being or the
There are well known existentialists such as human itself being immersed in the world.
Soren Kierkegaard, Martin Heidegger, Self-interpreting (We let ourselves do what
Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jean Paul Satre. it wants to unfold/discover)
Themes of Existentialism What is the IN in “Being-in-the-World”?
Existence Precede Essence – (your Categorial Sense - (Characterized by
essence) what you are is the result of your WhishIndifference)
choices (Existence). Essence is your destiny. Inclusion - (Spatial inclusion)
You are what you make yourself to be. Existential Sense – (Concern)
Time is of the essence – We are Involvement - (Personal Involvement)
fundamentally time-bound. Being To reside and to dwell. We get and involve
timebound makes us to maximize our time to the people in the world. Being-IN is not
to do things in a meaningful way. Our time the idea of inclusion like chalk in a box – or
as a human is qualitative and finite, it just a relation in space.
cannot be duplicated and reproduce. “There
is no such thing as next time.” What is the THE-WORLD in “Being-in-the-
Humanism – It is the focus of the human World”?
on the pursuit of identity and meaning It signifies the person living and involved in
amidst the social and economic pressure of this world and no other world.
mass society for superficiality and Our Temporality is very important
conformism. Realization of who you are dimension of a person’s “being-in-the-
rather than listening to what others say. world.” We are being towards death. Thus,
“Create your own identity.” human existence has a dimension of having
Freedom/Responsibility – We can stand a Past, Present, and Future.
back and reflect on what we’ve been doing. Human’s past is called Facticity,
It makes us think that we are more than existence of the human person that cannot
ourselves. We are responsible as we are be changed or givens without the person
free (Responsible Freedom). There is always being consulted” Being Thrown in the
a choice (no choice is a choice). world”.
Sartre’s concept of being-in-itself, being-for-
it-self, and nothingness
 Human’s future is called existentiality, Following Lacan, Badiou believes that there
the possibility that a human person can are no such thing as sexual relationships.
choose or have. Love fills the absence of sexual relationship;
The connection between facticity and you can love or be in love without sex.
existentiality is “Thrown possibility.” Sex Separates doesn’t unite.
The present of human is called Unlike Fromm’s perspective that lovers
fallenness, a state when a person lives in should be one, for Badiou mantains that
inauthentic existence (not the one making lover should be in the scene of two.
decision for himself/herself)
Construction of love (Alain Badiou)
A human person exists in the world not just
a mere location in space but primarily as Love contains an initial element that
involved or engaged in various things. separates, dislocates, and differentiates. It
makes us change in positive way.
Love in Relation to Understanding the Self
Love always starts with an encounter.
(by Erich Fromm)
We could say that love is a tenacious
Many people forget to think that there are adventure. The adventurous side is
things to be learned about love. necessary but equally as the need for
tenacity.
Things to learn about love:
To give up at the first hurdle, the first
Many people see the problem of love as quarrel is only to distort love.
being loved, rather than that of loving one’s Real love is one that triumphs lastingly
capacity of love. sometimes painfully, over the hurdles
Many people see the problem of love as the erected by time, space and the world.
problem of an object and not the problem
of faculty. (You yourself might be the factor
of being love not just your physical
appearance)
Many people are confused between initial
falling in love and being in love or standing
in love. (They are different)
If we want to learn how to love, we must
proceed if we want to learn any other art.
Love is an activity not a passive effect. It is
standing in not a falling for.
The active character of love is primarily
giving, not receiving.
Love means to commit oneself without
guarantee.
Love is an act of faith.

Alain Badiou on Love

Love is under threat:

The safety-first concept of love, it gives the
notion about love is about safety not risk. It
discourages us to be a risk-taker.
When love is being denied as important, the
way we see, or value love is not being
deemed important and less dignified.