Sartre on Three Waves of Ethics: A Philosophical Reflection

Abstract

In this research paper, an attempt has been made to analyze Sartre’s consideration of morality by following his philosophical approach to human existence. Many thinkers have disdained to regard Sartre’s existentialism as a moral philosophy because of his negative analysis of human existence. Sartre himself promised in his Being and Nothingness that he would further work on morality and indeed he developed his moral thought gradually in his later writings. However, in various ways, Sartre has been criticized for his moral thought, particularly for his doctrine of the key concept of freedom. It is noticed from Sartre’s philosophical works that he has shifted his morality from one phase to another. His moral philosophy is divided into three major sections which are interrelated with each other. However, the subsequent versions are far more enriched than the previous ones. This article aims to explore the underlying insight of the transition from one ethical wave to another ethical wave with a critical outlook.