Existentialism: the philosophy of J-P Sartre
Karen Green
8 points
* 3 hours per week
* First semester
* Clayton
*
Prerequisites: A first-year philosophy subject
Objectives The aim of this subject is to introduce students to the existentialist philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre and to give them a general background in twentieth-century European thought.
Synopsis The subject begins with a discussion of the origins of Sartre's thought in Husserl's phenomenology, and deals with the relationship between Heidegger's `What is Metaphysics?' and Sartre's Being and nothingness. The central focus of the first two thirds of the subject is Sartre's early existentialism as it is developed in `Existentialism is a humanism' and Being and nothingness. The emphasis is on understanding the philosophical texts, but some of Sartre's literary works are used for illustrative purposes. The last third of the subject discusses Sartre's later move toward Marxism and his thoughts on the nature of, and solutions to, oppression. In this context both Sartre's break with Camus and the influence of Sartre's thought on de Beauvoir's The second sex, are discussed. The subject concludes with a brief indication of the direction that French philosophy has taken since Sartre.
Assessment Written (5000 words): 80%
* Examinations (1 hour): 20%
* Optional replacement of one essay by a 2-hour examination
Prescribed texts
Sartre J-P (tr. H E Barnes) Being and nothingness Washington Square
Sartre J-P Nausea Penguin
A collection of readings available from the department
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