ABSTRACT
Contemporary politics may seem quite different than the politics of the last century, especially when it comes to extreme, far-right political thought and action. However, this chapter shows just how much the existential, philosophical thought of Jean-Paul Sartre can help us understand why far-right extremists stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn a free and fair election. The chapter analyses three aspects of Sartre’s thinking: how group formation leads to a hierarchical social ontology that inevitably results in the social domination of one group over another. Taken to its conclusion Sartre shows us how the group eventually anoints a single leader whose personality overtakes the group to form a cult; next, once a group is organized and adopts a hierarchical structure, the question then becomes how do those at the top react when their social status is threatened; and lastly, what can Sartre tell us about social media—its uses and effects—in extreme politics.
