Sartrean Freedom and his Idea of Concrete Liberalism

Abstract

In the philosophical arena, freedom has been tackled beginning from the ancient period. It has been tackled by political philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Lock, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and John Swart Mill. They dealt with it from a political perspective as having political ends and means. In the contemporary world, freedom is seen not only from a political view but also from a philosophical and conceptual understanding as fundamental to politics as well. This article through descriptive and analytical methods shows the relevance of Sartrean freedom to society. It shows the ontological understanding of freedom as a principle for practical freedom. Ontological freedom was seen as basic for ontic (material) freedom and so for social freedom as well. However, Sartre’s understanding of concrete liberalism was not enough for social freedom. Therefore, the article concludes that there should be trans-socio-political freedom.