Filters▼
Sort
Sorting applies immediately after selection.
Categories
Tags
Top 20Showing 1–3 of 3
At the existentialist café : freedom, being, and apricot
Sarah Bakewell • 2016
The text "SIR, WHAT A HORROR, EXISTENTIALISM!" explores the origins and development of existentialism through the lives and ideas of its key figures: Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, and their influences. It traces the philosophy from its roots in phenomenology, introduced by Raymond Aron, to its modern form shaped by Sartre's "existence precedes essence." The summary delves into Heidegger's complex, problematic relationship with Nazism, Husserl's pioneering phenomenology, and Merleau-Ponty's embodied cognition. It highlights the existentialists' grappling with freedom, responsibility, anxiety, and their political engagements, concluding with the enduring relevance of their insights into authenticity and human experience in the modern world.
Man's search for meaning : an introduction to logotherapy
Viktor E. Frankl • 1959
Dr. Frankl, a psychiatrist, developed logotherapy, an existential analysis centered on finding meaning and responsibility in life. His theory emerged from his harrowing experiences in Nazi concentration camps, where he witnessed profound suffering and the loss of his family. The narrative details how individuals, even when stripped of everything, can choose their attitude and discover purpose through love, nature, and internal spiritual life. Frankl contrasts his "will-to-meaning" with Freudian psychoanalysis, emphasizing that suffering finds meaning when accepted as an inescapable part of existence. The book concludes by outlining logotherapy's core concepts, highlighting self-transcendence and humanity's inherent freedom to find meaning.
Siddhartha, a Brahmin's son, embarks on a profound spiritual journey, initially seeking enlightenment through asceticism with the Samanas, then through worldly pleasures and business, before finding despair. After a moment of profound awakening by a river, he learns patience and deep listening from a wise ferryman, Vasudeva. He experiences the pain of human love through his estranged son and eventually achieves a state of unity and peace by understanding the interconnectedness of all things and the illusory nature of time and separation. His wisdom, characterized by a loving acceptance of the world, ultimately guides his old friend Govinda towards enlightenment.