Friday, November 14, 2014
Is Bad Faith Truly Lying?
I was very interested by Sartre's concept of bad faith during class this week. He described it as lying to yourself and denying your freedom to act genuinely. I didn't really agree with his interpretation of bad faith. We are all made up of many aspects, and each one doesn't define us, but that doesn't mean we are lying. I'm an athlete, a student, a brother, and a son. I may act more respectful around my parents than I do around my teammates, but I'm not lying. That is just the proper and expected behavior. My parents wouldn't like it if I was cursing all the time or anything else we do as a team. It's what is expected. In the case of the waiter, the customer expects them to be more cheerful and courteous. If they weren't the customer could accuse them of not doing their job properly. My point is that we are constantly adjusting our behavior for each situation, it's not a bad thing, just necessary.
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Walking in bad faith is equivalent to telling a noble lie because you are treating yourself as an object, and disregarding your sense of individuality. For that reason, I believe if people continue to practice this action.....they will end up losing their rights, as well as, freedom.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Charlie in a whole, I don't see acting differently around different people as lying or bad faith. Different situations or groups of people need different approaches and attitudes. Not many people will act the same around their parents as they would around their friends, its not that you're lying because if my parents asked me if I acted differently, I would truthfully tell them yes. The waiter situation is a great example of how it IS NOT lying, the being courteous and cheerful is part of their job, not them lying to the customer. Sometimes people will acting completely and unnecessarily different and that would be different and that may be considered lying, but does not fit into all of the cases.
ReplyDeleteI agree. In every given setting there is a certain set of manners that are expected of us and by acknowledging and knowing that that is the way we are supposed to act and behave, in a way it becomes part of who and what we truly are. People are complex we are like a Rubik's cube we have many sides and certain situations call for a different side. This does not make us any less genuine.
ReplyDeleteI think a person should act however she or he wants act like. There can not be just one personality to a person. That's what makes people people and different from other mammals.
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