Existentialism : a very short introduction / Thomas Flynn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Flynn, Thomas R.

Series:

Very short introductions ; 153.

Very short introductions ; 153

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Existentialism.

Physical Description:

144 pages : illustrations ; 18 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2006.

Summary:

One of the leading philosophical movements of the twentieth century, existentialism has had more impact on literature and the arts than any other school of thought. Focusing on the leading figures of existentialism, including Sartre, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, and Camus, Thomas Flynn offers a concise account of existentialism, explaining the key themes of individuality, free will, and personal responsibility, which marked the movement as a way of life, not just a way of thinking. Flynn sets the philosophy of existentialism in context, from the early phenomenologists, to its rise in the 40's and 50's, and the connections with National Socialism, Communism, and Feminism. He identifies the original definition of "existentialism," which tends to be obscured by misappropriation, and highlights how the philosophy is still relevant in our world today.

Contents:

1 Philosophy as a way of life 1

2 Becoming an individual 24

3 Humanism: for and against 45

4 Authenticity 63

5 A chastened individualism? Existentialism and social thought 81

6 Existentialism in the 21st century 104.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 126-132) and index.

ISBN:

0192804286

9780192804280

OCLC:

69483605