Yesterday
in lecture we continued to discuss the concept of bad faith and examined
several examples. Overall, the concept of bad faith correlates with the idea of
avoiding our “inescapable” freedom. As human beings, we have the distinct
characteristic of having absolute freedom, that is to say we have the power of
negation. Accordingly, Sartre identifies two types of being: being-in-itself
and being-for-itself. Briefly, being-in-itself (en soi) is characterized as an
unconscious being. This type of being is unable to change, meaning it has
definite properties, and is unaware of itself. On the other hand,
being-for-itself (pour soi) is what is characteristic of humans. This type of
being is conscious AND incomplete (lacking an essence). Because the
being-for-itself recognizes what it is not, a being-in-itself, it essentially
becomes a nothingness. Each individual can be thought of as a blank canvas in
which his/her being (the artwork) is created through the choices that are made
due to having absolute freedom. When one makes a claim such as “I had no other
choice” or “I have to do this”, the individual is fleeing his/her own freedom.
Therefore, the individual is claiming him/herself as an object in the world,
not a free agent; Sartre calls this as acting in bad faith.
One of the
examples Sartre gives to demonstrate bad faith is the homosexual and his
friend. There were some debate in class as to who was acting in bad faith, the
homosexual or the friend. Initially, it is assumed that the homosexual is
acting in bad faith because he is maintaining that his facticity (past) has
nothing to do with him. However, the friend is also acting in bad faith
because he is trying to convince him to apply the label “homosexual” to
himself. A sketch from the show Madtv (one of my favorite shows ever!) is a bit
similar to this example. In the sketch, a couple hires a bi-curious woman (Bambi)
to join them in a threesome. However Bambi, who is very much a lesbian, backs
out claiming that she is 100% straight.
Madtv sketch enjoy! =)
The homosexual example confused me at first. I could not see how the homosexual guy would be in bad faith. However, I could see how the friend is in bad faith. He is in bad faith because he is trying to force a label onto his friend. By the way, great video!
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