An approach to the ideas of project and alterity in the philosophical work of Jean-Paul Sartre

Abstract

In Sartrean thought, the human being is defined as a project. This means that—as a consequence of a particular gnoseological position that recognizes the centrality of the subject—man creates himself and others, is free, and possesses the capacity and responsibility to construct himself. However, throughout his work, a radical change can be observed between the original project outlined in L’être et le néant: essai d’ontologie phenomenologique (1943), the one in Critique de la raison dialectique (1960), and the ideas he outlines in his posthumous work, Cahiers pour une morale (1983). Using a phenomenological approach of hermeneutic reconstruction, I will describe the transition from subjective conflict to social conflict—from the perspective of relationships with others—in the author’s philosophical work. In this journey, I will focus my attention on the idea of the project as a transformative and creative action of the world, delineating some ruptures and continuities throughout his work.