Ideas of Simone de Beauvoir, by Theme

[French, 1908 - 1986, Born in Paris. Lifelong partner of Jean-Paul Sartre.]

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23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 3. Angst

20761	If existence is absurd it can never have a meaning
	Full Idea: To declare that existence is absurd is to deny that it can ever be given a meaning; to say that it is ambiguous is to assert that its meaning is never fixed.
	From: Simone de Beauvoir (Ethics of Ambiguity [1948], p.129), quoted by Kevin Aho - Existentialism: an introduction 6 'Bad'
	A reaction: Absurdity precludes meaning, but being meaningless doesn't entail absurdity. Asteroids are meaningless. Presumably if existence is meaningless now (as in a depression), but it might possibly become meaningful, then it can't qualify as 'absurd'.

24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 12. Feminism

20746	One is not born, but rather becomes a woman
	Full Idea: One is not born, but rather becomes a woman.
	From: Simone de Beauvoir (The Second Sex [1952], p.301 (or 267)), quoted by Kevin Aho - Existentialism: an introduction 2 'Phenomenology'
	A reaction: This has become the principle idea in modern discussions of gender. It divides gender from sex, rather as Locke divided person from human being. It is an abstraction. It is part of the Hegelian-Marxist idea that persons are moulded by culture.