No factual state can by itself motivate any action

Evidence

No factual state whatever it may be (the political and economic structure of society, the psychological “state,” etc.) is capable by itself of motivating any act whatsoever. For an act is a projection of the for-itself toward what is not, and what is can in no way determine by itself what is not. (2) No factual state can determine consciousness to apprehend it as a négativè or as a lack. — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, 1069

Categorization

• DEFINE: The two consequences restate the core definitional distinction between being (en-soi) and the for-itself’s projective nihilation.
• XREF: connects to: Motive force never determines conduct because it is only ever possible — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: An Essay on…, 238; Laws restrain action but never inspire it — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 1054; Laws limit but can never inspire political action (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Laws limit but can never inspire political action #exemplifies (0.92)
• Knowing the facts provides no strategy when opponents are immune to evidence #expands (0.88) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 67
• Laws restrain action but never inspire it #exemplifies (0.87) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 1054
• The past yields no imperative, being only indicative fact #corroborates (0.85)
• Sincere belief shapes action regardless of the belief’s actual truth. #contradicts (0.75) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1737
• Effective agency requires no knowledge of underlying mechanical causation #qualifies (0.72)