PHIL 291

Instructor: Jay Worthy

Course Description

Existentialism as a recognized philosophical field emerged in the wake of World War II, the senselessness and devastation of which radically brings into question previous notions of human nature as well as established religious, political, and cultural ideals. In this course, we track the development of the core claim of existentialism in response: that human existence cannot be defined by any such ideals in advance, and that we are radically free to make ourselves in accordance with our own decisions and actions. We will begin with post-war writers Sartre and de Beauvoir, taking them up alongside their contemporaries (e.g. Camus), critics (e.g. Fanon), and predecessors (e.g. Kierkegaard and Nietzsche). By examining these various accounts of existential freedom, we will also consider implications for other running themes, including ethical action, artistic creation, religious faith, political oppression, and the significance of death – each of which must be seen anew under the light of existentialist thinking.