| Unit name | Existentialism |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL20135 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Seiriol Morgan |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The wide range of thinkers to whom the label 'existentialist' has been applied have in common the view that human existence has a distinctive character that cannot be adequately captured using the conceptual resources articulated by the mainstream philosophical tradition, since these embody metaphysical assumptions that distort and falsify our 'being'. Consequently in their view philosophy has failed to capture what it is to be a human being. Prominent features of this special character include our self-consciousness and our experience of our freedom, which seem to allow us the unique ability to transcend the nature of our present selves through our future actions; or as Sartre puts it, in human beings "existence precedes essence". This unit examines the ideas of some of the most important existentialist philosophers, focusing on their views about human existence.
Aims:
The unit aims to give students a solid understanding of a number of basic central themes in the work of the existentialist philosophers. Their positions and arguments will be considered and assessed, and their interest and enduring importance brought out.
On successful completion of this unit students will:
1) Have a good understanding of some central themes in existentialist philosophy.
2) Be able to engage critically with these positions and arguments, and offer their own assessment of them.
10 x 1-hr lectures; 10 x 1-hr tutorials.
Three hour unseen examination.
Jean-Paul Sartre Being and Nothingness (Routledge, 1958)
Martin Heidegger Being and Time (Blackwell, 1962)
Soren Kierkegaard Fear and Trembling (Penguin, 1985)
