Liberdade como condição da existência e da democracia

Abstract

This paper proposes a connection between Jean-Paul Sartre's phenomenological ontology and the fundamental principles of democracy, with an emphasis on freedom of expression. Starting from the Sartrean conception that the human being is a project in constant construction, whose essence is realized through situated freedom, it is argued that freedom of expression is not merely a political right, but an ontological requirement of human existence. For Sartre, consciousness is freedom and responsibility, and man, in acting in the world, must assume himself as the author of his choices. In this sense, democracy is presented as the political organization that comes closest to the full realization of human freedom, as it recognizes the individual as a being capable of intervening in reality through speech and human action. Freedom of expression, therefore, is an indispensable condition for man to constitute himself as a being-in-the-world, engaged and responsible. At the same time, Sartrean philosophy warns that freedom implies responsibility: expressing oneself in a democracy requires critical consciousness and an ethical commitment to others and to the collective. Addressing the contemporary crisis, which encompasses the devaluation of the humanities and the weaponization of freedom for hate speech, we conclude that liberty—as the foundation of existence and democratic life—is fully realized only when accompanied by active participation and responsibility, making freedom of expression one of the most authentic manifestations of human life in democracy.