PHILOSOPHY 291: EXISTENTIALISM

A1 First Term TR 09:30-10:50 R. Burch
The purpose of this course will be to explore and evaluate the contributions of some leading existential philosophies to the perennial quest for meaning and truth in human existence. Our central focus will be the question of selfhood and self-making as this bears upon such issues as "What can I know?" "What should I do?" "What may I hope?" and such existential themes as freedom, responsibility and death. (Note: Although this course has no official pre-requisites, since existential philosophy is properly intelligible only as a response to its antecedents in the philosophical tradition, some background in the history of philosophy is highly recommended.)
Texts: J.P. Sartre, Existentialism and Human Emotions (Citadel/Philosophical Library); Srren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling/Repetition (Princeton University Press); Friedrich Nietzsche (ed. Walter Kaufmann), Beyond Good and Evil (Penguin) Martin Heidegger, "Letter on Humanism," from Pathmarks or Basic Writings
Recommended Background Reading: E.L. Fackenheim, Metaphysics and Historicity