ABSTRACT
Simone de Beauvoir never explicitly formulated the role of emotions in either her existentialist ethics or feminist thought; neither can one find detailed descriptions of specific emotions or a systematic evaluation of the role of affectivity in general. From the start of her philosophical and novelist work until her last writings, Simone de Beauvoir was concerned with existential problems like singularity, absolute freedom and responsibility. According to de Beauvoir, existentialism is the only philosophical approach that tries to face and accept this ambiguity. In fact, the ambiguity of life is the precondition for real ethics. In this context, de Beauvoir introduces Husserl’s concept of intentionality, which she transforms into a two-staged affective intentionality. Joy is what accompanies the first stage of intentionality, which is defined as an operative mode of disclosure or discovering of the world. The second stage comprises the explicit act of fixating or creating meaning whereby one posits oneself as an author of this meaning.
