Question

Read the passage carefully and answer the question:
“Only, unlike Kant, we do not see man as being essentially a positive will. On the contrary, he is first defined as a negativity. He is first at a distance from himself. He can coincide with himself only by agreeing never to rejoin himself. There is within him a perpetual playing with the negative, and he thereby escapes himself, he escapes his freedom. And it is precisely because an evil will is here possible that the words “to will oneself free” have a meaning. Therefore, not only do we assert that the existentialist doctrine permits the elaboration of an ethics, but it even appears to us as the only philosophy in which an ethics has its place. For, in a metaphysics of transcendence, in the classical sense of the term, evil is reduced to error; and in humanistic philosophies it is impossible to account for it, man being defined as complete in a complete world. Existentialism alone gives - like religions - a real role to evil, and it is this, perhaps, which make its judgments so gloomy. Men do not like to feel themselves in danger.”
- Simone de Beauvoir, \(\textit{The Ethics of Ambiguity} \)
Which one of the following claim is made in the passage regarding Existentialism? 
 

• A. Its emphasis on negativity means that it can account for evil.
• B. It cannot give rise to an ethic since it rejects the idea of evil.
• C. It believes that evil is a kind of error.
• D. It must withhold judgments about evil.

Hint:

Existentialism views evil as a real and important aspect of human existence, allowing for the elaboration of ethics, unlike other philosophies that may neglect or reduce its role.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the passage.
In the passage, Simone de Beauvoir explains that existentialism, unlike other philosophical traditions, acknowledges the existence of evil by recognizing its role within the framework of human freedom and negativity. The passage highlights how existentialism uniquely offers a way to account for evil through its emphasis on human freedom and the experience of the negative.
Step 2: Analyzing the options.
- (A) Its emphasis on negativity means that it can account for evil: This is correct because the passage directly discusses how existentialism, through its focus on negativity and human freedom, can account for the existence of evil.
- (B) It cannot give rise to an ethic since it rejects the idea of evil: This is incorrect because the passage suggests that existentialism does in fact develop an ethic through the concept of evil.
- (C) It believes that evil is a kind of error: This is incorrect. While existentialism discusses evil, it does not reduce it to mere error, as suggested in other philosophical systems.
- (D) It must withhold judgments about evil: This is incorrect because the passage implies that existentialism does make judgments about evil.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (A) because the passage highlights existentialism's ability to account for evil by focusing on negativity and human freedom.