JeanPaul_Sartre_JeanPaul_Sartre_Basic_Writing

The self151objects. Pre-reflexive consciousness takes external objects as its objects,as well as intimating its own mental states.The findings of acts of reflective consciousness are incorrigible. Thefindings of acts of pre-reflexive consciousness are corrigible in so far asthey are directed towards external objects. Sartre endorses the Cartesianepistemological thesis that if I believe I am in a mental state, internally orpsychologically described, then that belief cannot be false. That awarenesscannot be non-veridical. In the case of awareness of objects in the externalworld, however, there is always room for error. I may misidentify an object,ascribe to it a property it lacks or think there is an object where there is none.Reflexive consciousness delivers knowledge that is absolutely certain. If Ibelieve I am in a conscious state it is impossible for me to be mistaken.It is doubtful that this doctrine is true. Obviously, if it is true that I believe Iam in a mental state then it follows validly that I am in at least one mentalstate viz. that state of belief. Not much more than this can be said withcertainty however. This is not just because Sartre might be wrong about thenon-existence of an unconscious mind. It is also because I may be causedto believe I am in a mental state by something other than my being in it. IfSartre is wrong and there is an unconscious mind then I may be in a mentalstate and not know I am in it, and I may believe I am in a mental state and thatbelief may be false.Sartre, however, thinks the corrigible/incorrigible distinction marksanother important difference between reflexive and pre-reflexiveconsciousness. Pre-reflexive conscious of external objects is corrigible.Reflexive conscious of consciousness is incorrigible.This picture of self-consciousness depends on there beingconsciousness of objects outside the mind. Consciousness unifies itselfonly through its objects and only as unified can it be its own object.Intentionality depends upon on external objects, a unified consciousnessdepends on intentionality and self-consciousness depends upon a unifiedconsciousness. Self-consciousness is therefore not only consistent withconsciousness being embedded in the world, it presupposes it. We seehere another way in which our being is being-in-the-world.THE TRANSCENDENCE OF THE EGOThe I and the me