1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello y'all, it's Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast that flips through the 4 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: book of history and rips out of page every single day. 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:25,119 Speaker 1: Today is June. The day was June one, nineteen o 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: five French philosopher and writer Jean Paul Sartra was born. 7 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,919 Speaker 1: He was a major figure in twentieth century French philosophy 8 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: and one of the most well known intellectuals in the country. 9 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: Sartra studied psychology, sociology and the history of philosophy in Paris. 10 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: While he was at the Acole Normal, he formed a 11 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: relationship with Simone de Beauvois, who would also go on 12 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,279 Speaker 1: to become a noted philosopher and writer. He spent some 13 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: time in the French army during World War Two, and 14 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: was even taken as a prisoner of war, but he 15 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: was soon released and returned to Paris starta read Edmund 16 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: Hussel and Martin Heidegger, studying their phenomenological philosophy. Phenomenology is 17 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: the philosophical study of the structures of consciousness as experienced 18 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:17,559 Speaker 1: from the first person point of view. Sarta took part 19 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 1: in the resistance movement and wrote for underground newspapers. But 20 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 1: in three he wrote the first major philosophical work of 21 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: his career, being in Nothingness, an essay on phenomenological ontology. 22 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: In the book, Starta deals with topics like consciousness, free will, 23 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: and perception. The book gained popularity after the war and 24 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: garnered start recognition. There's been debate over Simon de beauvois 25 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 1: influence on the book and later developments in Startre's thought. 26 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: After the war, Starta also published novels and articles on 27 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: literature and politics. Before Sarta had not been deeply interested 28 00:01:55,760 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: or involved in politics, but he eventually became more politicized, 29 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: speaking out on issues like France's presence in Southeast Asia. 30 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 1: Over the course of his career, he also co founded 31 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: the journal Letant Modern, and he wrote plays, biographies, and 32 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: an autobiography. He also served as a philosophy professor and universities, 33 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,919 Speaker 1: and he developed a role as a public intellectual. That said, 34 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 1: he began to resent his inevitable acceptance by the bourgeoisie. 35 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 1: He often questioned his previously held attitudes and engaged in debate. 36 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: With his earlier works, Sarcha embraced communism but he was 37 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: never a member of the French Communist Party. He also 38 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: made clear his opposition to Western capitalism and the North 39 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance between North American and 40 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: European countries. Sarcher continued to write throughout his entire life, 41 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 1: building a body of work impossible to condense in any 42 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 1: meaningful way. But one of the works important to him 43 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: was the nineteen sixty book Critique of Dialectical Reason, in 44 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: which he expounds when ideas of existentialist Marxism. It wasn't 45 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: a popular work, though. In nineteen sixty four, Starta was 46 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, but he refused to 47 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: accept it. He said that he declined to accept official 48 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: distinctions and did not want to be institutionalized. He also 49 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: said that he was concerned the award would limit the 50 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: impact of his writing. In the nineteen sixty four interview, 51 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: Sartre said, the following I discovered abruptly that alien nation, 52 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,480 Speaker 1: exploitation of man by man under nourishment, relegated to the 53 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: background metaphysical evil, which is a luxury. Later in life, 54 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: Sarcha participated in demonstrations and marches, and he was vocal 55 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: about topics like housing and the Vietnam War. Sarta died 56 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty. After his death, his daughter authorized the 57 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: publication of several collections of his letters, like those he 58 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: wrote to Samone de Beauvoir. Sarta is remembered as one 59 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: of the foremost intellectual figures of the twentieth century. I'm 60 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: Eve Jeff Cote and hopefully you know a little more 61 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. And if you 62 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: have any comment source suggestions, you can send them to 63 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: us at this day at I heeart media dot com. 64 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: You can also hit us up on social media where 65 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: at t D I h C podcast. Thanks so much 66 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: for listening to the show and we'll see you tomorrow. 67 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart 68 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 69 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:32,279 Speaker 1: favorite shows.