Sartre’s Founding of Phenomenological Ontology Cover Image

Sartrovo zasnivanje fenomenološke ontologije
Sartre’s Founding of Phenomenological Ontology

Author(s): Marica Rajković
Subject(s): Epistemology, Contemporary Philosophy, Existentialism, Phenomenology, Ontology
Published by: Филозофски факултет, Универзитет у Новом Саду
Keywords: phenomenon; consciousness; ontology; Husserl; cogito;

Summary/Abstract: The main attempt of this paper was to show Sartre’s constitution of the new theory of being, consciousness and phenomena – of the phenomenological ontology. In Sartre’s key works on this subject, „Being and Nothingness“ and “The Transcendence of Ego“, phenomenological ontology is founded through criticism of earlier phenomenologists and ontologists: Husserl and Heidegger (Sartre criticised Husserl’s notion of a transcendental ego, as well as Heidegger’s raising questions that we cannot give answer to). However, Sartre’s foundation of phenomenological ontology goes even further, positioning itself also on the criticism of idealists, rationalists, empiricists and psychologists. In Sartre’s opinion, phenomenology has removed the illusion of „worlds behind the scene“, that took place in dualism of Kant’s ideas of phenomena and noumena. Consciousness is always consciousness of something or someone, but always consciousness of an object. This non-positional quality of consciousness is what makes ontology what it is. And the fact that „third parties“ are the tangible foundation of the intangible self, is what makes this ontology a phenomenological ontology!

  • Issue Year: 2010
  • Issue No: 14
  • Page Range: 159-170
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Serbian