Introduction to Existentialism: From Kierkegaard to The Seventh Seal

Description

This textbook introduces you to existentialist philosophical theory and its cultural influence. The first part of the book offers an introductory overview of the 19th century historical roots of existentialist thought and chapters on all the key players: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Camus. The second part presents a thematic approach, with chapters on Christian and Jewish existentialism, existentialism in America, existential psychology and existentialism in the cinema. Ideal for undergraduate and classroom use, this engaging and accessible textbook includes pedagogical features, such as study questions, chapter summaries, key definitions and further reading. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Introduction: An Earthly and Earthy Outlook 1.1 The divided religious consciousness 1.2 The disengagement of freedom from rationality Part 1: Six Traditional Existentialist Thinkers Chapter 2: Søren Kierkegaard (1813–55) 2.1 Kierkegaard’s existentiality 2.2 The task of finding oneself 2.3 Alternative lifestyles and the search for meaning Chapter 3: Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) 3.1 Truth, health, and the quest for meaning 3.2 Early Nietzsche: The Birth of Tragedy 3.3 Later Nietzsche: Philosophizing from the perspective of life 3.4 Nietzsche’s mythologies 3.5 Nietzsche in existential perspective Chapter 4: Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) 4.1 The obfuscating effects of objectification 4.2 Human being as “being present” 4.3 Other people and the obscuring of personal authenticity 4.4 Authenticity and individuality 4.5 Sociality, poetry, and the fourfold Chapter 5: Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–80) 5.1 “Being-in-itself” versus “being-for-itself” 5.2 Bad faith 5.3 Other people 5.4 Critical reflections 5.5 Conclusion Chapter 6: Albert Camus (1913–60) 6.2 The feeling of the absurd 6.3 Escapist reactions to the absurd: Hope and suicide 6.4 Absurd lifestyles: Expenditure, creativity, and revolt 6.5 Conclusion: Life as deadly serious sport Chapter 7: Simone de Beauvoir (1908–86) 7.1 The ambiguous human condition: Mind versus body 7.2 The ambiguous human condition: Individuality versus sociality 7.3 Beauvoir’s ethics of ambiguity Part 2: Existentialism in Religion, Culture, Psychology, and Film Chapter 8: Christian Existentialism 8.1 Paul Tillich (1886–1965) 8.2 Gabriel Marcel (1889–1973) Chapter 9: Jewish Existentialism 9.1 Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929) 9.2 Martin Buber (1878–1965) Chapter 10: American Existentialism 10.1 The reception of existentialist philosophers in America 10.2 Existentialism in 1960s’ America Chapter 11: Existentialist Psychology 11.1 Viktor Frankl (1905–97) 11.2 R. D. Laing (1927–89) Chapter 12: Existentialism in the Cinema 12.1 Ikiru (1952) 12.2 The Seventh Seal (1957) 12.3 Irrational Man (2015) 12.4 Midnight in Paris (2011) 12.5 The Pawnbroker (1964) 12.6 Expressing existentialist themes under aesthetic constraints Chapter 13: Conclusion: Why Existentialism Today?—The Need for Realistic, Humane, and Responsible Leadership Books on Existentialism Bibliography References Books on Existentialism Index