San Lwin - Existentialism and Humanism

The idea that started the common philosophy

(Translator's note)

1. When the book Common Philosophy came out, I felt a little uneasy. What made me uneasy was that I was not sure about the “existentialism” that was presented in that book. The reason I was not sure was because “existentialism” was just a superficial look at it and seemed to be a vague and incomplete statement. The picture of existentialism was not clear. It was not clear. I was not sure about that.

2. I wrote the Common Philosophy (10) years ago, when the Burmese readership was

In the meantime, "existentialism" has become popular. But no one knows it in detail. It is a modern, 28th century philosophy that is popular in the world. This ideology has spread to the fields of literature, music, and art, so it is widely known. In Myanmar, there is no one who knows anything about this ideology.

3. To say the least, there is only one translation of the novel The Stranger by Alphonse Camus. There are no philosophical treatises, essays, or criticisms written by the great philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (Yan Pail Sartre) (yet). At first, I was waiting to see who would be able to bring this philosophical view to Burmese literature. Ko Aye Kyaw (Maung Kyi Thit) was somewhat capable. But he also could not handle the original philosophical texts. He could only briefly explain some of the "existentialist" ideas that others had said. He could not exert himself adequately.

4. So, I finally got the idea that I would have to do this big project myself.

5. I realized that if I were to discuss this issue with a reader who does not have a good foundation in philosophy, it would be confusing. The reason for this is the following.

I'm talking about reasons.

6. (a) As far as I remember, in the early 1960s, during the last year of the writer’s Pizzariant course, Daw Khin Setyri, a professor from the American Medical Institute, returned to Yangon University. She brought with her “existentialism.” The professor seemed to be very interested in this philosophy. She also had a wealth of books and papers. Before that, “existentialism” had not been widely known as a literary genre even among Burmese writers.

(b) When I was in my master's degree, I studied a book called THE AGE OF ANALYSIS compiled by MORTON WHITE. In it, there is "EXISTENTIALISM". It is not a detailed explanation. It is a short excerpt. However, the compiler Morton White describes the history of the emergence of this ideology and the philosophical background, and also shows the philosophical views of Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Marcel who paved the way for him, so it is useful to just guess the essence of this ideology.

(c) But Martin White has become an example of one of the most important things.

I don't know, I found that it was left out. This is not something else. The philosopher Descartes, who is recognized by the world as the father of French philosophers, does not mention the Cogeto principle "I think, therefore I am". This does not include Jean Paul Sartre's philosophical view, as if it has no foundation. The reason for this is that Jean Paul Sartre's existence and fundamentalism deeply consider this Cogeto principle to be the true truth, not just the divine doctrine.

(d) It should be further emphasized that this Cogeto concept was developed by Jean-Paul Sartre.

He has carved out a unique way. There is no one in the history of world philosophy who can see it. Bertrand Russell is not like him. Jean-Paul Sartre is a truly insightful person. Therefore, if you do not see this Cogeto concept as he sees it, you cannot understand the concept of Self-Awareness in his existentialism based on that view, nor can you understand the concept of "consciousness" as he understands it. And you cannot understand the awareness of freedom, which shows that human existence is entirely based on free choice, and it is very difficult to understand the concepts of suffering and anguish, which are inevitably included in human existence, and that existence is all "karma".

(e) His philosophical views are different from any that have appeared before him. He focuses on the existence of human life and the relief of the suffering that people experience, and expresses them through literature, art, and all other means.

7. I have thought about all these points in my head. This doctrine is very close to Buddhism in some respects. It views the suffering of humanity based on human life, and considers the problems of how to eliminate suffering (although the solution is similar to Buddhism). It considers the problems that the Buddha considered in its own way. There is only one thing, the Buddha's "mind-control" principles, the principles of the cessation of suffering, and the principles of action and action have led to the error. I want Burmese scholars and monks who are strong in the field of the Pariyatti faith to understand these. Only then will we see where this doctrine is right and where it is wrong.

8. What I want to know more about is the approach of existentialism to human life. That is why this ideology has spread like wildfire in the world. As Buddhist Burmese, I want to know why our own ideology is more effective in solving human problems than existentialism, and why it has not spread widely in the world.

9. The reason I say this is because Jean Paul Sartre’s main work, “Being and Nothingness,” is “Being and Nothingness.” I think that I should continue to try to bring the original principles of “Being and Nothingness” into Burmese literature so that Burmese scholars can think about what to include and how to approach Theravada if they want to make it popular in today’s world.

10. So, if we are to bring this philosophy to the Burmese literature in its original form, we need to think about which book to start with. We can’t translate “Being and Nothingness” right away. The basic concepts are not yet well-known to the Burmese public. So, I thought that translating this book first, as Jean-Paul Sartre had said, would be more effective.

11. There are many literary groups about “existentialism”. However, as for the scriptures, only Jean-Paul Sartre himself wrote them. Before him, there were “existentialism” books based on the Christian doctrine that there is a creator. These are not suitable for the Burmese audience. Jean-Paul Sartre, like the Buddha, did not accept that there is a creator God at all. He did not believe in it. Therefore, his thoughts are quite close to the thoughts of the Buddha. Although they may seem different because of different interpretations, they are similar in essence. In fact, he was not a philosopher who had attained omniscience, so his views were limited and not completely truthful. In any case, after reading the translated scriptures, scholars and readers will realize where he is weak. Since I have now left society and entered the life of a monk, I have prioritized monk matters. However, in the time I have (before I die), I have decided to do as much as I can for the expansion of Burmese literature in the field of philosophy. As much as I can. I hope that Burmese readers will enjoy it.

Translator