The pre-reflective cogito is non-personal and contains no Ego

Evidence

In this same article Sartre lays down two fundamental principles concerning the pre-reflective consciousness which are basic in his later work. First, he follows Husserl in holding that all consciousness is consciousness of something; that is, consciousness is intentional and directive, pointing to a transcendent object other than itself. Here is the germ for Sartre’s later view of man’s being-in-the-world, for his “ontological proof” of the existence of a Being-in-itself which is external to consciousness. Secondly, the pre-reflective cogito is non-personal. It is not true that we can start with some such statement as “I am conscious of the chair.” All that we can truthfully say at this beginning stage is that “there is (il y a) consciousness of the chair.” The Ego (including both the “I” and the “Me”) does not come into existence until the original consciousness has been made the object of reflection. Thus there is never an Ego consciousness but only consciousness of the Ego. This is, of course, another reason for Sartre’s objecting to the primacy of the Cartesian cogito, for Descartes was actually trying to prove the existence of the “I.” — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, 11

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the non-personal, intentional pre-reflective cogito that grounds Sartre’s whole ontology.
• XREF: Sets up the systematic backdrop for Beauvoir’s Ethics of Ambiguity, which inherits this pre-reflective freedom. — connects to: The Ego exists as an object of pre-reflective consciousness, not as a repudiated entity. — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: An Essay on…, 82; The Ego appears only when consciousness reflects on itself.; The singulars’ automatic distribution requires no Ego; it is the work of no one — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel: Plasticity,…, 1126 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• The Ego exists as an object of pre-reflective consciousness, not as a repudiated entity. #contradicts (0.92) — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, 82
• The Ego appears only when consciousness reflects on itself. #expands (0.85)
• The Ego is a transcendent unity of states, qualities, and acts #expands (0.85)
• The singulars’ automatic distribution requires no Ego; it is the work of no one #corroborates (0.82) — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel, 1126
• The Ego is a transcendent in-itself, not of consciousness’s nature. #expands (0.82)
• Personality arises from consciousness’s reflective self-presence, not from the Ego #corroborates (0.80)