PHIL 2250

Existentialism is a philosophy which focuses upon human existence and the ways in which humanity is unique. Our human situation is unique because, despite our similarities with other kinds of entities, both natural and artificial, we alone bear some responsibility for the fate of all things, including ourselves. Existentialism is concerned especially with the human predicament: our freedom and responsibility, the possibility of selfhood and the inevitability of death, the nature of time and the process of existing. Existential philosophers emphasize the place of emotions and imagination, myth and poetic truth in human experience, along with the traditional roles of reason and understanding. In addition to these themes, this course may consider topics such as: the death of God, nihilism, inwardness, authenticity, self-deception, ideology and technology. Representative thinkers may include: Kierkegarrd, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Jaspers, Buber, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, de Beauvoir, and Camus.