entry #6: bad faith

Sartre mentions "bad faith" as the disillusioned idea that one can appropriate, or assign a sense of their own self. In 'Being and Nothingness,' he explores this idea further by pointing out that we can never truly glimpse ourselves the way others do, or, that we cannot view what we project onto others. To some extent I believe this is true, as I have found myself desperately trying to be validated as a human being by other people in my life. However, it is possible to exude a sense of self that you are aware of. In other words, it is possible to have an accurate self-image, and to feel at one in your own skin. This does not necessitate the existence of another to recognize it.

entry #5: gender construction

in The Data of Biology, Simone de Beauvoir examines the biological differences between the two sexes, which are rooted largely by environmental, social constructions. She uses the example of insects, in that their social and physical environments determine, to a great extent, their sexual identities. Similarly, men and women of the human race are deemed "feminine" or "masculine," not necessarily based on anything biological, but on how society views them. I think this applies to many instances of human interaction, such as stereotyping. Many characteristics are frowned upon when the "wrong sex" exhibits them, such as an ambitious, cut-throat business woman, or a man who weeps uncontrollably at the opera. I find that gender and its associated roles arise purely from these social constructions, where the sex plays a smaller role.