Existentialism: A Very Short IntroductionExistentialism was one of the leading philosophical movements of the twentieth century. Focusing on its seven leading figures, Sartre, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty and Camus, this Very Short Introduction provides a clear account of the key themes of the movement which emphasized individuality, free will, and personal responsibility in the modern world. Drawing in the movement's varied relationships with the arts, humanism, and politics, this book clarifies the philosophy and original meaning of 'existentialism' - which has tended to be obscured by misappropriation. Placing it in its historical context, Thomas Flynn also highlights how existentialism is still relevant to us today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. |
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abstract aesthetic Albert Camus ambiguity anguish argument authenticity awareness bad faith basic Camus’s Chapter choice claim commitment concept concrete concrete philosophy consciousness creative Critique cultural death dimension Edmund Husserl either/or ekstatic essence ethical example existence existential individuality existentialism existentialist existentialist thought Existenz experience expression fact facticity Ferdinand de Saussure form of bad Foucault free spirits freedom and responsibility French fundamental Gabriel Marcel Hegelian Heidegger Heidegger’s hermeneutics human Husserl impersonal inauthentic insisted interpretation Jean-Paul Sartre Karl Jaspers Kierkegaard and Nietzsche kind language lecture linguistic lives manner Martin Heidegger Maurice Merleau-Ponty meaning metaphysical method moral movement nature Nazi Nietzsche’s Nothingness objective one’s person phenomenological phenomenological description philosophy play political possibility postmodern practico-inert pre-reflective psychoanalysis reflection relation religious Sartre calls Sartre’s Sartrean seems Simone de Beauvoir simply Sisyphus situation social society Socrates Søren Kierkegaard sphere structuralist structures temporality term theory transcendence truth universal values will-to-power words