JeanPaul_Sartre_JeanPaul_Sartre_Basic_Writing

190Jean-Paul Sartre: Basic Writingsstratum of the world. In contrast to this conduct voluntary and rational conduct willconsider the situation scientifically, will reject the magical, and will apply itself torealizing determined series and instrumental complexes which will enable us to resolvethe problems. It will organize a system of means by taking its stand on instrumentaldeterminism. Suddenly it will reveal a technical world; that is, a world in which eachinstrumental-complex refers to another larger complex and so on. But what will makeme decide to choose the magical aspect or the technical aspect of the world? It can notbe the world itself, for this in order to be manifested waits to be discovered. Thereforeit is necessary that the for-itself in its project must choose being the one by whom theworld is revealed as magical or rational; that is, the for-itself must as a free project ofitself give to itself magical or rational existence. It is responsible for either one, for thefor-itself can be only if it has chosen itself. Therefore the for-itself appears as the freefoundation of its emotions as of its volitions. My fear is free and manifests myfreedom; I have put all my freedom into my fear, and I have chosen myself as fearfulin this or that circumstance. Under other circumstances I shall exist as deliberate andcourageous, and I shall have put all my freedom into my courage. In relation tofreedom there is no privileged psychic phenomenon. All my “modes of being” manifestfreedom equally since they are all ways of being my own nothingness.Notes1 Jean-Paul Sartre Altona and Other Plays: Altona, Men Without Shadows, The Flies(Penguin, in association with Hamish Hamilton, Harmondsworth, 1962) p. 292.2 Gaston Berger, Le Cogito chez Husserl et chez Descartes, 1940.3 I.e., is not spontaneity. Tr.4 Esquisse d’une théorie phénoménologique des émotions, Hermann, 1939. In English,The Emotions: Outline of a Theory. Tr. by Bernard Frechtman. PhilosophicalLibrary, 1948.5 A word invented by Preyer to refer to a sudden inhibiting numbness produced byany shock. Tr.