Lyari Literary Forum ( LLF ) organised a study circle, entitled “Jean Paul Sartre’s philosophy on terror and violence and contemporary political phenomena” on saturday 5th october 2019 at Mullah Fazul Library, Chakiwara, Lyari.
Lecture was delivered by Balach Baloch, Balach is a Mphil student from the Department of Philosophy, University of Karachi.
In the beginning of his lecture, Balach Baloch told the audience that Jean Paul Sartre is a French philosopher , political activist and literary critic , one of the key figures in the philosophy of extistentialism and he was leading marxists of 20th century.
Baloch informed about the philosophical career of Jean Paul Sartre that focuses, in its first phase, upon the construction of a philosophy of existence known as existentialism.
Lecturer briefed about Sartre’s philosophy on Existentialism: Sartre says existence proceeds essence. And existentialism is a humanism because it expresses the power of human beings to make freely choices, independent of the influence of religion or society.
He said the existence preeceds essence and according to Sartre existentialism is a humanism because it expresses the power of a human being and to be human is characterized by an existence that preceedes its essence.
Such as a pen is called pen because it writes, the essence of a pen is writing.
Then he concluded extentialism with his words that man exists in the process, man defines himself and the world in his own thoughts and wanders between choice, freedom and existential “angist” and this emphasis on our freedom to choose what we are is characterisitics of all extistentialist thinkers.
Sartre when entered in political world, as he was a french marxisit so people who claimed to be socialist and planned to revolt against Capitalism but later they negotiated with captitalists and betrayed Sartre so Sartre then brought this school of thought that ” group existence is based on pledge violence ” and here he termed group as nation that once you pledge for fighting or struggling for your nation then there is no way back no surrender otherwise such people should face violence and terror.
As far as, according to sartre, pledge groups bring development and help in the growth of nation and after the success of pledge group peace is prevailed in the region Sartre’s understanding of the internal meaning of group violence, and in particular the role of violence in forming the group’s collective personality. The pledge creates the justification for internal terror; through the group, the ‘origin of humanity’ emerges and a ‘common freedom’ is realized, stated the Lecturer.
You can further study about violence and terror in Crtique of Dialectical Reason by jean paul sartre page 736-7.
