What kind of person you are?
If you’re glancing at this right now, that means you’re alive. Also, it can be interpreted that you’ve decided to learn a philosophical view. (Because we are getting into that now) You could have been busy with abundant of other activities but you chose to do this, just at the moment.
Life is based on making decisions as you make right now. However, you’ve better ask yourself: Do you decide on the right thing in all situations and enjoy your independence to experience only what you want? Or all you live are written in a certain script and you only play it?
Expectedly, these questions are hard to answer because they’re highly related to the ethic of human existence. Based on a classic work written in 1947, The Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir aims to help us to obtain a practical insight from existentialist thought. Thus, we will be able to figure out the ways of living our life.
Human existence is profoundly confusing.
Existentialists say, with no ignoration of the complexity of human nature, accept this as it is ambiguous and unclear. So, according to existentialists, humans don’t have a single, unchangeable identity. In another saying, the ways how humans consider themselves constantly change and there is a complete fluidity on the meaning that the humans assigned to their lives.
So, right now, you could be defining yourself as a partner, but one minute later, you’ll begin to think of yourself as a mother or father to your child. Now, you’re probably a worker in cooperation, and one minute later you’ll think of yourself as a world citizen.
That’s why, existentialists argue that humans represent no identity, more accurately -a complete nothing. Since humans always change while things are inclined to stay the same, human beings are different than things.
When you think about it, having a fluid identity might be good, given that it lets human beings to have a sort of freedom.
Personal Freedom
There is no simplicity in life. And, even we had an ethical guideline, it would still stay unclear how we should take action in a given situation. Instead of ignoring the ambiguous character of humanity and the complexity of life experiences, we should face that complexity.
So, according to existentialists, no rules for action works in life. They suggest that the best thing to do is considering each situation exceptional and meticulously thinking before we act.
Let’s think of an ethical dilemma.
-Imagine that one of your good friends who’s a drug addict wants you to lend money to him so he can buy some drugs. You don’t want to help him to buy harmful drags by giving him money. But in other respects, you think if he can’t make enough money from you to buy drugs, he may involve in a crime and cause himself more damage.
In such situations, moral prescriptions that ask being charitable or maximize pleasure won’t lead you to take a proper decision about what you have to do.
Doesn’t matter if there is a concrete solution to this situation. The thing is that you’re in charge of your actions, so you have to carefully assess each choice you have before you determine what you do.
According to Simone De Beauvoir,
Sub-Man
When escalating the ladder of the human taxonomy de Beauvoir made, the first person we’ll meet is the “sub-man.”
Being lazy, indifferent, and lacking imagination, the sub-man lives without doing any meaningful thing. He isn’t aware of his freedom at all, so he can’t use that freedom. All he does is degrading his life to nothing, so he has no difference from a lifeless object.
Serious Man
Secondly, we’ll meet the “serious man” who is more aware of his freedom. This is the category that most people get stuck in.
The serious man attempts to develop his conditions and set goals that he believes. However, he can’t realize the subjectivity of his moral codes, considers them as the absolute truth. So, he transforms into only a follower who doesn’t think, or if we’re to be more honest, a sheep.
Nihilist
Next up, the “nihilist” will be waiting for us, the man who is aware of the subjectivity of human values.
But nihilist believes that subjective values mean nothing comprehensive, so all human projects are random and worthless in deep. Because of this worthlessness, he, the nihilist, chooses to use his freedom for doing nothing constructive.
The adventurer
The adventurer is the more rational version of the nihilist. She recognizes the mentioned subjectivity of human values and interprets this positively, so decides to lead her life by using her freedom.
The adventurer goes happily into various projects that are under her direction. She’s unprincipled, which means that she doesn’t care about the possible damages of her actions on other people because her concerns are only about herself.
But,
In a world where everybody acts selfishly, humans cannot have their freedom. Many essential things like our culture, the capital for embarking on new projects, and our existence relies on the freedom of people around us. So, the adventurer takes full advantage of her freedom if she manages to combine her eagerness for living with a concern for others.
What kind of person should I be?
Enough chit-chat about human character and awareness, so on what basis will we make our decisions? What will we do with the awareness of our freedom?
Easy,
First of all, we will be aware of our freedom and not be a lazy person. A person who does not create value for himself and others cannot be aware of his individuality and enjoy freedom, the original nature of being an individual.
Secondly,
We will not use our version of morality based on our awareness to define ourselves. We will be aware of the subjectivity of the moral codes, it is not a matter of winning or losing, you will either be a winner or not a loser, you will either be a believer or not an unbeliever, you will be sheep or not the person being followed.
Thirdly,
We should not think that if moral rules are so subjective, it is meaningless to seek the existence of moral rules, to set moral rules for ourselves, or to obey existing rules.
We should not do that because this thought devalues people’s thoughts and values, therefore what makes us who we are, hence our own self.
In this case, how is it possible to create a value from our self that we feel worthless?
And lastly,
Until now, as you can imagine, I did not write this article to give you any advice. Remember that it is easy to get advice about what to do, but since there is not a single truth about what to do, this is actually another method of avoiding problems, and if I did it would contradict the writing itself.
If I do that, I would turn you into a lazy person that you don't have to think about, by making you a believer or by directing you to one truth, giving advice.
Write what you think in the comments and remember, that information that tells you what you should not do and why you should not do it -that allows you to make your own advice- is much more valuable than a recommendation about what to do.
