Leotard against Sartre

Abstract

Taking up a commitment to writing, or, in the words of Leotard "writing one's commitment," is an impossible task. This is because, as Sartre put it, such commitment "presumes a present, that is, a situation of presence, a destination to which we arrive: an action and those to whom something is sent." Sartre's concept of situation implies a reality that we are present in, and that we wish to exit from towards another present, another situation. This makes it clear, however, that there are no individuals with whom we share our understanding of the situations within which we live, and to whom we write – no recipients for our missives. Consequently we only commit to writing what we deem to be appropriate and to be worthy of expression. Sartre believed that this problematic extends from reality (general and comprehensive) in all of its phenomenological meanings – what we perceive and shape with our consciousness – to reality in the Marxist sense – reflecting our consciousness – but which in reality only began as "a little story," a fable whose purpose is to prevent us from mixing reality with imagination. The story or situation that seeks to represent or to present us with reality is itself imaginary. Sartre believed that even in political texts, reality is revealed only through the act of writing.