Existentialism and Sustainability: The Everyday Struggle for an Authentic Life

Written by: Thomas Sievers ( Philosophy & Sustainable Food )

As we have seen throughout history, humans are inclined to be civilized. We are social animals that have proven to have safety in numbers. The safety that we provide one another in a community based system has evolved into a much more complex social system. A system where what we need to survive can be found one mouse click away, or by simply jumping into a car. By living in cities we have lost a great amount of connection with the world around us. Instant gratification through fast food disconnects death from hunger, production from proletariat, and consumer from consumption. We live in an in-demand culture, we want what you are offering and we want it now. We do not see where our goods come from and we do not see where our trash goes. City life has not only changed our social patterns toward one another, but it has also changed our interaction and experience with nature. The ways we ‘city’ now are inherently opposed to nature. Just view Atlanta or any major metropolitan area on Google Earth. The image you will see is a stark example of this opposition.

This way of life has largely led to the inauthenticity we see among the many in the modern age. By inauthenticity of the many, I mean any western culture. The fact that most things must be individually wrapped, that most things are single use, that most things are in fact created for landfills (or worse, to be cast out into nature). The argument here is not just for the environment, but also for the social health of the populous. Our current method of urbanization is only a continuation of a much grander experiment. We are still learning how to best run our cities and in that experiment we must be cognizant of all variables, and be open to the inevitable adaptation of the system. Sustainability has become a popular word in the twenty-first century and initially offered hope to the insights of thinkers such as Hubbert with his theory on Peak-Oil.

Sustainability was originally coined through the publication of Our Common Future (The Brundtland Report), in 1987 by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development. It was used as a means to call for, and to search for, resiliency to changing capacities of resources. Since its inception this term has done two things for environmentalism; one, it has made it popular to be “green” as many call it. This has created awareness to the environment on a limited basis, and because of its popularity, has created a class specific image. And two, it has muddied the waters on what the word actually entails, allowing any interpretation thereof. This has in fact led to the appalling misapplication of the term for everything from the sustainability of a multi-billion dollar corporation to the so-called sustainable amount of petro-chemical fertilizers to be applied on a monoculture. Both can be seen as absurd under the guise of the original meaning of sustainability.

In this essay I will argue for the case of sustainability using an existentialist method. I will reflect on Sartre’s stance in Existentialism is a Humanism and Cavell’s Existentialism and Analytic Philosophy and the claims they make about existentialism. By using this philosophy as a guide to move away from inauthenticity, we can begin to apply it to finding authenticity within sustainability and an authentic sustainable existence. Upon establishing my main argument, I will proceed to give an analysis of my application of the tenets of existentialism and how it applies to the everyday struggles of being sustainable.

Sartre’s main claim about existentialism was that “existence precedes essence” and this case is very much the same when applied to sustainability as a way of life. When it comes to pro-environmental behavior, one can say that habit and repetition fortifies ethical conduct. This thinking does equivocate the struggles of living sustainably for the sake of argument. But the problems we face in the socio-political world of environmentalism are very complex. On any given day, one must consider their source and usage of water, choice of food, health and sanitation products, mode of transportation, dwelling and its materials, etc… Needless to say, embodying the authentic essence of sustainability is to lead a hyper-aware life, of which, most do not or cannot due to social- political barriers. To be sustainable means a continual practice or action of pro-environmental behavior, and by thinking outside the bounds of ones own immediate needs. This boils down to the actions and choices that every individual makes, but more importantly, it is the mean of those actions. For we cannot expect everyone to be able to fully embody sustainability.

I think it requires a rational mean of action, a regular balance of self-sufficiency, and community reliance. Simply put, do what you can where you can by the best possible means necessary. Sartre held that life is the sum of ones actions and choices. This means that sustainability is itself only embodied when chosen or acted upon. Only through right action can one lead an authentic life. Those of the many who participate in superficial sustainability or ‘green-washing’ are only acting as inauthentic agents of sustainability. By finding the mean of ones own sustainable essence can one, at the very least, diminish their inauthenticity. As that unfolds, the essence can be allowed to grow, leading towards ever-greater authenticity. This, then, calls to attention what Sartre called ‘facticity.’

For Sartre, facticity holds individuals to the bounds of their own capabilities. I believe that sustainability, when applied correctly, provides plasticity to facticity. As we evolved from an agrarian society into an industrialized one, the many lost the knowledge of self-sufficiency, becoming reliant on big-boxes and supermarkets. In today’s age of information education lies only one-click away. This may seem only for the privileged but nowadays most, if not all, public libraries have wireless internet. What cannot be accessed online can be accessed in the library or through community programs. Education is a choice now, so to transcend ones facticity is a completely possible endeavor, it all relies on choice. Pro-environmental behavior is limited to those who actually adopt the behavior. It can be said that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. The larger issue here is the value that people hold to their environment, whether immediate or globally, but sense of place is an essay in itself. Sartre would probably see sustainability as an existential reformation of sort. It not only is tied to the authentication of nature as a finite resource and applies value to it, but it also authenticates ones own existence because of the self-actualizing nature of sustainability. I think Sartre would agree that it is better to teach a man to fish than to merely provide him with a fish from the supermarket for a day. As I said before, for the many to exhibit authentic qualities of sustainability they must find their mean and act within their new-found range of facticity. This happens only after taking the so-called ‘irrational leap of faith’ and making a choice to learn and expand their knowledge in order to become a better functioning member of the community they are a part of.

Cavell offers an interesting analysis of existentialism by mainly turning to Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein, and also incorporating Austin and ordinary language philosophy. His major claim is that we operate in a world of illusion, one of unquestioning compliance to a system of comfort. He contends that understanding the language of philosophy can reveal the true nature of reality. Since the tool of the philosopher is his words it becomes ever important in using and assigning value to those words when deliberating on reality. Cavell sees that living an inauthentic life in illusion is living objectively. For example, once an individual comes to have a subjective experience with the reality of the commercial meat industry they might realize the sustainability, or lack thereof, in the industry. Additionally, that experience also has the potential to resonate with the individual, helping to improve inward moral character. For Cavell, subjectivity equals truth. Only when someone actually experiences self-expansion through questioning and fact-finding (by choice), does one begin to see reality clearly.

I think that it is necessary to address these tenets and examinations of existentialism within the argument for sustainability, because that is the only way to generate the paradigm shift that I speak of. Just as ordinary language philosophy attempts to ground meaning and action through language, so too must we reach a common understanding of ‘sustainability’ in its truest form. We cannot begin to live authentically without first clearing up the meaning of what a sustainable life is. Sustainability can only flourish when an individual achieves its truest form. It is an important humanistic topic for us to take seriously as actors in our own play. Exploring the very things that will ensure the continued existence of the human species should be of the utmost importance to world leaders, industry titans, and every person that takes part in urbanized modern life. Existentialism offers us keen insights into realizing the truth surrounding our choices as consumers. So I offer this: to reflect on existentialism means the reflection of ones place in the grand scheme of things, and to realize ones capabilities as an agent of existence. This then translates into conscious, intentional action and is precisely what the current state of sustainability lacks. There are niche agents that are doing very good work, the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems in Austin, TX is one of them. But more generally, there is on one hand what I will call ‘academic’ sustainability where everything that is correct in theory lacks the real world application. These are the discussions held in dialogue rooms, being discussed among those educated in sustainability. But then on the other hand, there is the real world application of sustainability, which more often than not lacks the knowledge base to do anything of true value. The middle ground here should be active ‘boots on the ground’ organizations, institutions, insightful businesses, and individuals that are ready to undertake sustainable development in the most applicable and authentic ways.