Notes by RBJ on
Existentialism & Humanism
by Jean-Paul Sartre
Overview
A lecture originally given at the Club Maintenant, which contains a summary of Sartre's Existentialism responding to some common criticisms. The book also includes a transcript of the discussion following a subsequent private re-run for his opponents.
Sartre's purpose is "to offer a defence of existentialism against several reproaches".
Two Kinds of Existentialism

Viz. the Christians (Jaspers and Gabriel Marcel) and the Atheists (Heidegger, the French existentialists, Sarte).

They have in common, that existence comes before essence.

Sartre's definitions of key concepts.
Reproaches
Sartre's purpose is "to offer a defence of existentialism against several reproaches".
quietism of despair
"an invitation to people to live in quiteism of despair"
underlining the ignominious
"reproached for having underlined all that is ignominious in the human situation"
denial of reality
"reproached as people who deny the reality and seriousness of human affaires"
Definitions
Sartre's definitions of key concepts.
Existentialism
Anguish
This is an anguish which results from the profound sense of responsibility caused by his knowledge that when he commits himself he legislates for mankind.
Abandonment
"When we speak of 'abandonment' ... we only mean to say that God does not exist, and it is necessary to draw the consequences of his absence right to the end."
The consequences seem primarily for Sartre to be that there are no absolute moral values which we might use to guide our conduct.
Despair
"... merely means that we limit ourselves to a reliance upon that which is within our wills, or within the sum of the probabilities that render our action feasible."

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Created:2006-06-16

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