"The Authenticity of Friendship" by Simone de Beauvoir: A Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

Relevance. The authors of the article make an attempt to fill a gap in the study of Simone de Beauvoir's work, associated with a weak study and analysis of the feminist theory of the French thinker. The study of the concept of friendship and trust as an implicit part of it seems necessary to deepen the understanding of its theory. In the feminist theory of Simone de Beauvoir, friendship is seen as an authentic phenomenon that allows you to penetrate into your own essence, as well as to realize its vulnerability. The purpose of the article is a phenomenological analysis of the concept of “authenticity of friendship” by Simone de Beauvoir as an epistemological study of trust in others. Objectives include the following: to determine the content component of the concepts of “friendship”, “authenticity of friendship” in the feminist theory of Simone de Beauvoir; to study the criteria for the concept of “authenticity of friendship” by Simone de Beauvoir at a philosophical level; to reveal the connection between the “authenticity” of friendship and trust in another. Methodology. The process of considering the concept of “authenticity of friendship”, introduced by Simone de Beauvoir, involves the use of the following approaches: hermeneutic (J. Habermas and others) to reveal the communication system in the structure of friendship between two individuals; phenomenological (E. Husserl, O. Fink, J.-P. Sartre, J. Habermas and others) for the interpretation of the theoretical material of Simone de Beauvoir. Results. In the process of research, we tried to explain the concept of “authenticity of friendship” in the feminist theory of the French thinker, as well as the influence of freedom and the place of trust in the concept under consideration from a phenomenological position. The authenticity of friendship involves certain conditions that call for an ethic of freedom and, directly, trust in the chosen position of the other. Conclusions. The attempt to consider the influence of external factors on the authenticity of friendship emphasizes the vulnerability within relationships between individuals and at the same time notes the potential that allows us to comprehend the value and significance of events on the social and psychological background of the subjects of friendship.