Existentialism - A very short introduction

Existentialism does not normally receive a very good press in English philosophy departments. It was unusual to be able to follow a course in existentialism and St Andrews in the early 1970s, when most consideration of the school was confined to French and German departments. The author tellingly states in the first chapter that clarity is not enough reminds us that Socrates regarded philosophy as a way of life. He describes the approach of key figures such as Kierkegaard, Husserl and Nietzsche before coming to well-known 20th-century figures like Heidegger, Camus, Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. The treatment is also thematic, with a chapter on authenticity and the relevance of existentialism to social thought. Existentialism can provide an antidote to relativism and determinism, which tend to diminish the value of individual responsibility and action. This book can be recommended as a fine introduction to the field.