Daniela Dover (Oxford): “Freedom and Futurity: Beauvoir’s Moral Psychology”

Published: 22 March 2024

Daniela Dover (Oxford): “Freedom and Futurity: Beauvoir’s Moral Psychology” Friday May 3, 1-3, 10 Professor's Square

 “Freedom and Futurity: Beauvoir’s Moral Psychology.”

 

Abstract: This paper begins by introducing Beauvoirian moral psychology through its key concepts: ambiguity, project, situation, anxiety, justification, natural freedom, and moral freedom. It goes on to show how Beauvoir derives substantive ethical conclusions from her portrait of the human psyche. In its most general form, the Beauvoirian ‘existential imperative’ holds that, on pain of unmitigated anxiety, each human being must will freedom absolutely—‘the man who seeks to justify his life must will freedom itself, first of all and absolutely’ (Beauvoir, Pour une morale de l'ambiguïté [Gallimard 1947], 34-35). Echoing Kant, whose categorical imperative can be stated in three ways that are ultimately, but not obviously, equivalent, we distinguish among what we call three ‘formulations’ of this imperative, each of which corresponds to a step in Beauvoir’s overall argument. Beauvoir begins by arguing that each of us must will our own freedom. Next, she argues that each of us must will the freedom of at least some others. Finally, she holds that each of us must will the freedom of all. This in turn requires political action.  

 


First published: 22 March 2024