Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (June 21, 1905 – April 15, 1980) was a French existentialist philosopher, dramatist, novelist and critic.

Critiques

Munich 1972 and Israel

When eleven Israeli Olympians were killed by the Palestinian organization Black September in Munich 1972, Sartre referred to terrorism as a "terrible weapon but the oppressed poor have no others." He also found it "perfectly scandalous that the Munich attack should be judged by the French press and a section of public opinion as an intolerable scandal." (Sartre: The Philosopher of the Twentieth Century, Bernard-Henri Lévy, p.343).

Related Topics:
Israeli - Palestinian - Black September - Munich - 1972 - Terrorism

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Although this has been understood by many as an apology to terrorism, these comments must be read together with others where he indicated that no means should be used which dehumanize its targets and disfigure its goal. He in fact identified as one of those "who affirm the sovereignty of the Israeli state and also believe the Palestinians have a right to sovereignty for the same reason..." He was also known for his strong opposition to anti-semitism.

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