PHL3430

Existentialism: the philosophy of J-P Sartre

Proposed to be offered next in 1999

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 Two essays (3000 words each): 50% each
* One essay may optionally be replaced by a 3-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 and on reserve in the Sir Louis Matheson Library