Q: Explain Sartre's idea of freedom and compare that to Walter Benjamin's notion of "aura" and 'authenticity".
A: Sartre believes that we are condemned to be free. He syas that we were thrown into this world but now we are responsible for everything that we do; Sartre does not believe in determinism. How this connects to Walter Benjamin- because we make our own choices, we are unique/authentic, just like an artwork's aura makes it authentic. (Is this a right argument?)
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A painting's aura encompasses all the things which have brought it to the point it's currently at. The presentation, the history, and so forth are all aspects of the aura. The painting does not enter the world with a defined place ("meaning"/"purpose"), but gains one much in the same way Sartre believes humans do.
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