The Ethics Of Ambiguity

The Ethics Of Ambiguity explains existentialist philosophy in a post–World War II setting, showing us how we can accept the absurdity of life and use its randomness to create rather than despair.

As kids, we don’t realize that we learn world views and moral codes that are not our own. But as we grow older, we realize that those who make the rules aren’t perfect, and the things people teach us aren’t indisputable truths.

According to de Beauvoir, people mature to differing extents. The more mature we become, the more aware we become of our freedoms. Sadly, many people never mature fully, thus never fulfilling their potential.

De Beauvoir outlines several maturity levels. First is the sub-man. Maybe he’s lazy, doesn’t have much of an imagination, or is indifferent, but he avoids doing meaningful things with his life. This is because he doesn’t realize the freedom he has.

Next is the serious man, where most people are. He tries to make his situation better and works towards goals he thinks are good. His problem lies in his inability to recognize that moral codes are subjective. This makes him prone to being an unthinking follower

Next is the nihilist, who realizes that human values are subjective. But because she sees this subjective nature of values, she sees that all human projects are meaningless and worthless. Because she sees it as worthless, she chooses not to use her freedom constructively.

Lastly, we have the adventurer. She sees that values are subjective, but sees it as a positive because she has the freedom to choose her values. But her fault is that she becomes overly concerned with her own projects and ideas and doesn’t care how her actions affect those around her. However, if the adventurer becomes concerned with others as well as her own passions, she will finally find true freedom.

Have you ever heard someone say they are giving an “unbiased opinion”? Did you know that this doesn’t actually exist? In philosophy, this is known as “disinterested contemplation.” In theory, you could separate your interests perfectly in your mind, thus being able to form a completely objective opinion on things. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. Even when scientists, creatives, and intellectuals pretend they take a disinterested, “outside” perspective, they still have subjective opinions and desires. This is what many elites did when the Nazis occupied Paris. They willingly ignored the new regime based on being “non-partisan.” In truth, they simply didn’t want their lives to be disrupted. De Beauvoir condemned the French elite for taking no position and being complicit instead of speaking up. The truth is that we can’t ever perform disinterested contemplation because it is impossible to truly detach ourselves…