This week in class, we discussed Sartre. He believes in existentialism, which basically means people can always choose, human freedom and responsibility. He is one of my favorite philosophers that we have covered so far because the concept of existentialism is very interesting. Humans have the ability to make and choose their own decisions. We love the idea of freedom, but we don’t always want the affects of having it. We are responsible for our all decisions. Sometimes we may try to pin the blame on someone else or not take accountability for our actions, but still claim to be free. We must understand that freedom is essential for responsibility. However, he also believes that there is never a case where you are absolutely unfree, and humans can always choose. This is where a disagreement can emerge. For example, a person that is brain dead. Is this person still considered a person? I believe they are. Regardless of that person not being functional, they are still a person. When I had a conversation with those who agreed with Sartre, they said that that person wasn’t a person. That person could not think for his or her self, so they really were already dead. Although that person may be on their last thread, would you pull the plug? What if that was your mother, father, sister, etc.? You would still look at that individual as a person, regardless of them not being able to do for oneself. I believe this is a case where a person can not choose. That person is not functional, so they can’t choose to get up. They can’t choose to pull the plug. They can’t choose anything. I do believe that there are several circumstances where a person can definitely choose and make a decision, but the fact remains that the person has to be functional in order to do so.
This is really an interesting scenario. If Sartre claims that the ability to choose or note to choose is what makes us innately human, then I suppose someone who is brain dead would not be free. I guess you would also have to see if Sartre would say that someone who is not free is not human? Take slavery for example: this is literally the act of stripping someone of their freedom and, as a result, depraving them of their humanity. If you would agree with this, then you may agree that someone who is in a persistent vegetative state would also be stripped of their humanity. I think in situation such as these, it is important to make a distinction between the philosophical definition of human and the biological one.
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