Beauvoir: ambiguity and existential ethics

Professor Ellie Anderson, co-host of Overthink philosophy podcast, unpacks Simone de Beauvoir's existential philosophy of ambiguity, freedom, and oppression in The Ethics of Ambiguity.

This video was created just for our YouTube subscribers (thank you for your support!) based on Professor Anderson's Existentialism course at Pomona College.

Dr. Anderson has published academic articles on Beauvoir's existentialism in Simone de Beauvoir Studies, Continental Philosophy Review, The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, and more!

For more from Ellie, check out Overthink podcast!

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at @overthink_pod

[kedarrout]

I am a student of philosophy for the last 20 years. Ellie is simply brilliant. She simplifies very difficult concepts so easily.... Thanks dear....

[mariaclaras]

I couldn't help but notice the Clarice Lispector's book in the background. Fantastique!

[monicavilhauer]

Thank you, Ellie! Fabulous! I'd love to hear more about the role of violence in Beauvoir's thought, and controversies around it. So politically relevant.

[meganlehr]

This was beautifully said, thank you!!!

[courtneydolly]

Thank you Dr. Anderson, this is such an incredible summary.

[surajsood]

I gave my copy of *Ethics of Ambiguity* away after barely having read it. Thank you for the accessible portal into de Beauvoir's thought! Very easy to grasp in relation to Sartre's thought re. freedom and subjectivity/objectivity.

[FreiaNomad]

Such a lovely video, a powerful women of true knowledge is such a ray of sunshine.
As a pronunciation and accent coach, I love the way you emphasize your words and use intonation to attract the interlocutor emotionally to make this such a smooth lecture that is easy to digest and reap the benefits ^.^

Thank you!

[marybethtimmermann]

What a great overview of Simone de Beauvoir's important book-length essay that argues for an ethics of ambiguity!

[Marcello.Lextra]

I noticed the Clarice Lispector book. I am Brazilian and a big fan of hers. Good reads!

[terrysmith]

The human factor reborn for me with your presentations, much read in my youth, now much more pertinent, brilliant
one of the best, I applaud you Madame !!

[doc.lightplayer]

"THE AIM OF ETHICS IS TO REALISE FREEDOM"

LOVE IT

[cradlebrouch]

We have to respect freedom only when it is intended for freedom, not when it strays, flees itself, and resigns itself. A freedom which is interested only in denying freedom must be denied. And it is not true that the recognition of the freedom of others limits my own freedom: to be free is not to have the power to do anything you like; it is to be able to surpass the given toward an open future; the existence of others as a freedom defines my situation and is even the condition of my own freedom. -Beauvoir (EofA)

[Backwoodsandblades]

Wow. Again Bravo. So well summarized and offered. Bravo.

[MsVorpalBlade]

I often find myself re-reading La Beauvoir. Thanks for a great precis of my favourite book of hers.

[cellomansings]

This ( channel) is such a good project! I appreciated this distillation so much, and it came at a good time for me. Keep up the beautiful work!

[igorshevchanko]

I really love all your videos. Your voice sounds a lot like Dr. Amy from The Big Bang Theory: )

[KristinP-zidj]

Thank you for simplifying my largely technical book.

[globuspallidus]

I absolutely love your lessons about existentialism 😻

[davidburne]

I’d be interested to see how you respond to de Beauvoir in a postructuralist sense (my ‘ism of interest’), given that so much of it seems to be influenced by the changing structure(s) of meaning, which has impacts on how the ‘ethical self’ is constructed

[robertmeyers]

Hello, I am new to Simone, and enjoying her views, broadening my vocabulary, concepts and most important for me, the invention of new questions in my mind.

The concepts of freedom and ambiguity discuss ethics and the relationships with others. My question is, how do I reconcile the fact of human competition in our nature and the ethics of respecting and acting to protect another’s freedom. In sport the rules and circumstances are known and agreed and the players solve problems to achieve goals, but possibly at the expense of their opponents freedom. Ethically this might be viewed as ok as all players knew the risk to their freedom.

In the world at large, competition is natural and is governed in various ways. Extreme competition like colonization or even war, we agree is against all that is right and ethical. However eliminating competition is also unethical in many ways.

I will stop there. My question is how does Simone du Beauvoir reconcile freedom with competition. If anyone has a link to point me, I’d appreciate it. Thx.