PHIL304: Existentialism

7.2: de Beauvoir's Existentialist Ethics

• 7.2.1: The Importance of the Social Sphere

  • Stanford University: Dr. Debra Bergoffen's "Simone de Beauvoir" URL

    Read this article on de Beauvoir. As you read, pay attention to the discussion of de Beauvoir's literary fiction and the way in which it served as a vehicle for her philosophical ideas. What is the role of the Other in individual human existence? Ask yourself whether we have any responsibility toward the Other, and if so, what exactly that responsibility is. Is this a responsibility that we can ignore? 
    

  • Duke University: Dr. Linda Zerilli's "Living with the Other's Pain: The Problem of Empathy in Simone de Beauvoir's Le sang des autres" URL

    Listen to Lecture 4, titled "Living with the Other's Pain: The Problem of Empathy in Simone de Beauvoir's Le sang des autres." As you watch this lecture, pay special attention to King's characterization of "the problem of empathy" in de Beauvoir's work. Write a brief description of this problem, and note how de Beauvoir attempts to solve it.
    

• 7.2.2: The Ethics of Ambiguity

  • Simone de Beauvoir's The Ethics of Ambiguity: "Chapter 1: Ambiguity and Freedom" URL

    Read Chapter 1 from de Beauvoir's The Ethics of Ambiguity. As you read, pay special attention to de Beauvoir's critique of Marxism. How does de Beauvoir frame her critique? Consider the strengths and weaknesses of her argument. Jot down a brief definition of de Beauvoir's characterization of ambiguity and the way in which de Beauvoir uses it in her argument. How does ambiguity characterize human existence, according to de Beauvoir?