“Man is always a Sorcerer to Man.”
Forum Philosophicum December 28, 2023 DOI: 10.35765/forphil.2023.2802.14 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Sartre's account of 'the look' in Being and Nothingness is illuminated by the cultural-anthropological perspective of the Notebooks for an Ethics, where his comments on Michel Leiris's description of the zar spirit-possession cult clarify an already-present but underdeveloped link between the look and possession. Proposes that this sheds new light on Sartre's thinking about the relationship to the Other and opens a new perspective on religion and the social. |
Abstract
This article sets out to reinterpret Sartre’s famous analysis of the look in Being and Nothingness from the cultural-anthropological perspective developed in the posthumous Notebooks for an Ethics. In the latter, he comments on some passages by Michel Leiris on the cult of the zar, a North-African belief and practice involving spirit possession. The article also seeks to show the influence of cultural-anthropological thought on Sartre, asking about what new light these rather unexpected analyses may shed on his thinking about the relationship to the Other. I start with the doctrine of the look as we know it from Being and Nothingness. Then I examine how, in Sartre’s Notebooks, his account takes some new directions. The link with possession, already present—though underdeveloped—in Being and Nothingness, becomes clear. I briefly introduce Michel Leiris in order to interpret Sartre’s comments on the zar cult as described by Leiris. This opens up a new perspective on religion and the social. Finally, I offer some concluding considerations.