Why did Jean-Paul Sartre said that FREEDOM is our DOOM?

Question

Jean Paul Sartre Said: My own noblest possession, freedom, is my doom: I am "condemned to freedom." I am doomed to failure. I am an eternal Boston Red Sox fan, under a cosmic curse.

Answer 1

.. To answer this question we d better look at the poster logo of Sartres existentialism .

"the being exceeds the purpose"

we exist with no given purpose. we are in a way casted to be, to exist without our intention ,and any purpose given by others.

its very absurd cuz we exisit but we dont know why.

so we are doomed with this absurdity where the freedom is only what we have.

even though we have freedom this absurdity never changes. still we have no choice but to go on with the freedom which we have.

so freedom is our doom.

existentialists never say such words " I am doomed to failure under cosmic curse"

as long as you have your freedom , you can and must try again cuz you are doomed with your freedom, your free will.

Answer 2

Admittedly I haven't read Sartre, however, I would hazard a guess that Freedom could be your doom because it is a great responsibility. Freedom is a gift & a curse. If you are forced to do something, if you have no choice then you are exempt from responsibility, but if you are free to make your own choice then there's no one to blame but yourself for your mistakes. It can be scary, knowing that you are the author of your fate. It's overwhelming.

In high school, my religion teacher had a saying "God gives us enough rope to hang ourselves" (a tad morbid in retrospect!!!) All she meant was that God gives us freewill. Our lives are ours to lead however we choose. We may choose good or evil, it's up to us. Some will choose evil or self-destruction, others will choose good & self-survival, but it's up to us.

There have been a few points in my life when I was at a crossroads and had to choose between two paths (or more). While I might have seen myself as lucky to have the luxury of options, instead I was overwhelmed & scared of making a mistake. I didn't know what to do. I wanted a big hand to reach down from the sky & point which way to go.

A long time ago my family had a dog that always wanted to get out of the yard. We had to keep the gate closed or he'd run away. Sometimes my brother would forget or it wouldn't close properly & he'd get out. One morning he got out & was hit by a car. It was devestating. He longed for freedom & it was his doom. A prison is safe. Nothing can happen to you in there. Freedom is a risk, you don't know what will happen when you take a chance. But life isn't worth living if you don't take any risks.

Freedom is our doom & our salvation. We direct our own lives. We choose what we do and where we go, not knowing the outcome but hoping for the best. Freedom is our gift & our curse.

Answer 3

I adore Sartre.

I believe he was making the point that with freedom, comes more responsibility that we can't necessarily handle. We're human. We're irrational and greedy and impulsive at times. Having freedom allows us to act on those traits, and therefore gives us the ability to condemn ourselves in various ways. Freedom isn't necessarily safe, as we don't have someone to hold our hand and guide us and keep us out of trouble. I believe that's what he's saying.