Recognizing bad faith
Examine an ontological concept through scenes from Being and Nothingness.
An original introduction. This guide accompanies the work; it is neither the complete text nor a translation.
Observe the waiter
Sartre describes playing a role as if one coincided completely with it. Serving coffee is not the problem; reducing oneself to a social thing is.
Hold two dimensions together
Facticity names what is already given; transcendence opens possibilities. Bad faith plays one against the other. Identify where someone denies either their facts or their possibilities.
Avoid easy judgments
The concept does not authorize declaring all suffering chosen. Investigate what a situation actually permits before diagnosing evasion. Self-analysis should remain open to revision.
Recognizing circumstances and recognizing possibilities are inseparable requirements.
Your turn to think.
- Which identity protects you from which change?
- Which constraint should you acknowledge more precisely?
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