The Existentialism of Sartre

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, although the seeds of existentialism may have been sown by Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche in the nineteenth century, it was not until almost 200 years later that Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, brought his concept of existential philosophy to its pinnacle through his novels, short stories, plays, essays and theoretical works. The author points out that existentialism began as a revolt against traditional Western philosophy, specifically attacking the metaphysical philosophy of existence by traditional schools of thought. The paper relates that the fact that Sartre was an atheist, as were a majority of the great existential thinkers, such as Nietzsche, adds to the significance of his 'existence precedes essence' view. The author analyzes the reasons behind the popularity of Sartre and his works.

From the Paper:

"Although Sartrean existentialism has lost much of its former glory since his death in 1980, his legacy still lives on, and this is not just through his own writings. Sartre was able to bring existentialism to a global scale, but more importantly, have a profound influence not only on philosophy, but in the arts, theater, and literature of the twentieth century as well. Examples of existential themes can be found in modern art, which attempts to show the reality of our existence instead of portraying reality as something it is not, or what world-renowned theologian Professor Paul Tillich calls "dishonest beautification"."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Andrews, J.D.W. (1989). Integrating visions of reality. Amercian Psychologist, 44 (1), 803-816.
• Barash, D.P. (2001, July 20). America's essence: What would Sartre say? Chronicle of Higher Education, 47 (45), 5.
• Barash, D.P. (2000, November). Evolutionary existentialism, sociobiology, and the meaning of life. Bioscience, 50 (11), 1012-1017.
• Copleston, F. (1994). The existentialism of Sartre (I). In A history of philosophy (Vol. IX, pp. 340-367). New York: Doubleday.
• Copleston, F. (1994). The existentialism of Sartre (II). In A history of philosophy (Vol. IX, pp. 368-389). New York: Doubleday.

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