Simone de Beauvoir on Existentialism & God (1959)

Existentialists take human existence and the human condition to be a fundamental issue. They tend to be radical individualists who privilege our lived experience and choice. They focus on themes such as: freedom, authenticity, the individual, meaning, anxiety, alienation, death, dread, the absurd, contingency, and nihilism. They often are also suspicious of any fixed, pre-determined human nature, objective/universal values, and abstract philosophical systems. Some of the most important existentialist thinkers (or at least thinkers associated with existentialism) include Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger, Søren Kierkegaard, Simone de Beauvoir, Friedrich Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, Albert Camus, and Karl Jaspers. (My Description)

#philosophy #existentialism #sartre

[xontheweb]

I love their very engaging and 'active listening' body language. Excellent questions and answers. Thanks PO!

[yeswellfrombrittany]

Very good translation, and a precious piece of archive for us, thank you !

[Longtack]

Beautiful clarity from a true philosopher.

[outorii]

I really like that she says “people interpret god on their own tendencies” it really explains a lot of religious behavior in America. Many say they believe something because it’s in the Bible, but I think it’s more just because they agree with it and can now justify it with religion. This can be both good and bad depending on whether the person is good or bad

[amazingandrea]

In 1981, when I was 21, I moved from western Canada to Paris, with $400 CAN in my pocket, obviously no computer or cell phone, and virtually no knowledge of French (I knew 2 sentences), to learn French in a year. What an adventure! I stayed just over 2 years. Working as a nanny, my French improved rapidly, speaking to the children. I studied SdB in a French Literature class I took at La Sorbonne ~ but this is incredible for me to hear her speak. (Step back from the interview, though ~ look as his leaning towards her, she is confined by a wall on one side and a corner on the other. I felt uncomfortable for her.) Even if you do not speak French, note the speed at which she conveys her intelligent thoughts. She was wrestling with Kant at age 18 ~ compare that to today's Kardashian Krap. (I am not dissing them as people, merely their level of thoughtless conversation.) Learning French changed the trajectory of my life, set me up in a fabulous career, and allowed me to meet amazing, life-long friends. What a shame that learning a second language is not a top priority for all young students in North America both above, and below, the 49th parallel...

[hugomarquez]

She doesn’t hesitate and just goes at it, the interviewer didn’t know what was hitting him!

[Iceni]

Fascinating - I studied Philosophy at Uni many moons ago and read Sartre and some de Beauvoir. I've read 'Memoirs of a dutiful daughter' and seen her in photos of course, but never watched her in action and heard her speak until now. A great mind.

[jpblack]

"people interpret God by their own tendencies"
NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN MORE TRUE

[bovnycccoperalover]

Fascinating and brilliant woman. French is such an expressive language.

[superclarendon]

This mildly makes me want to learn French, because seeing how the English translation matches up with the actual words spoken is surprisingly cool.

[deba]

Thank you so much to the channel for this clip. Simone is the second woman philosopher after Ayn Rand who has captivated me through her structured reasoning prowess. Inspired and awestruck ❤

[Fit_Philosopher]

heavyweight intellectual!!! fierce speaker!

[rodrigosilveira]

Thanks for reuploading! These short interviews of Beauviour are very inspiring.

[jennyhirschowitz]

Intelligent interviewer. Much appreciated. Miss Jenny

[akiblue]

This is so refreshing. I'm afraid what pass as intellectual discussions nowadays are TED Talks and Freakonomics podcasts.

[pikiwiki]

She is so sharp. There is no skirting around her words

[ivorlewis]

What a beautiful voice; I could listen to her all day long.

[humanalltoohuman]

The precise nature of her expressions are truly exquisite.

[charlesdahmital]

It is always fascinating when I come across someone I have not heard before
and they are saying what I think.

[benjamintrevino]

"What interests us (existentialists) is knowing what to do."

It appears debating one another is at the top of the list.