The American Project in France

Being and Nothingness

This thread follows a collective political project that gives a shared past a new meaning in order to justify present action.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Entering a War Entering a War from "Being and Nothingness". Entering a War Political Choice A nation may join a war for material interests, alliances, or a publicly declared moral debt.

Entering a War from "Being and Nothingness". Entering a War Political Choice A nation may join a war for material interests, alliances, or a publicly declared moral debt.

Entering a War Political Choice A nation may join a war for material interests, alliances, or a publicly declared moral debt. The project selects which motives become causes. Meaning The decision is not explained by the circumstances alone. A future end makes some features of the situation decisive.

A Shared Past Recalled A Shared Past Recalled from "Being and Nothingness". A Shared Past Recalled Public Memory A political speech can invoke an earlier relationship between peoples to give the present action the form of repayment.

A Shared Past Recalled from "Being and Nothingness". A Shared Past Recalled Public Memory A political speech can invoke an earlier relationship between peoples to give the present action the form of repayment.

A Shared Past Recalled Public Memory A political speech can invoke an earlier relationship between peoples to give the present action the form of repayment. Historical Construction The memory does not invent past events, but it arranges them into a meaningful lineage that supports the current project.

The Past as Motive The Past as Motive from "Being and Nothingness". The Past as Motive Recovery An event becomes a motive only when a present project recovers it as relevant. The past does not act by itself.

The Past as Motive from "Being and Nothingness". The Past as Motive Recovery An event becomes a motive only when a present project recovers it as relevant. The past does not act by itself.

The Past as Motive Recovery An event becomes a motive only when a present project recovers it as relevant. The past does not act by itself. Contest Different projects can use the same history to justify opposite choices, exposing the freedom within collective memory.

A Counterfactual Alliance A Counterfactual Alliance from "Being and Nothingness". A Counterfactual Alliance Another Project The same political circumstances could be reorganized around a different national end.

A Counterfactual Alliance from "Being and Nothingness". A Counterfactual Alliance Another Project The same political circumstances could be reorganized around a different national end.

A Counterfactual Alliance Another Project The same political circumstances could be reorganized around a different national end. Another alignment would call forth different memories and symbols. Limits The alternative cannot change the actual past, but it shows that historical meaning is not mechanically fixed by it.

A History Still Open A History Still Open from "Being and Nothingness". A History Still Open No Final Verdict Historical acts remain open to reinterpretation while living projects continue.

A History Still Open from "Being and Nothingness". A History Still Open No Final Verdict Historical acts remain open to reinterpretation while living projects continue.

A History Still Open No Final Verdict Historical acts remain open to reinterpretation while living projects continue. No generation owns the last word on the past. Responsibility Collective memory is a choice with consequences, not a neutral report detached from action.

Part Four, Chapter One, reference to 1917

Part Four, Chapter One, discussion of Lafayette

Part Four, Chapter One, discussion of motives and historical meaning

Part Four, Chapter One, discussion of alternative political histories

Part Four, Chapter One, conclusion of political examples