Although Existentialism as an explicit school of thought, emerges in the 20th Century, its roots lie in the 19th Century. Therefore, we will begin our readings with texts by 19th Century thinkers, and then move to texts written in the 20th Century. Existentialist thinkers question the ideals of the Enlightenment and the presuppositions of modern philosophy, in particular the consideration of the rational human subject as the basis of philosophy and reason as the essence of human beings, and the belief that philosophy should concern itself primarily with the objective world. Existentialism, while adhering to the idea of the primacy of the human being as the basis of philosophy, questions the primacy of reason and attempts to broaden the meaning of human existence. Existentialist philosophers try to describe human existence in concrete situations and in terms of several dimensions other than or in addition to reason.
Existentialism also questions the relationship between philosophy and human existence.
In this course we will not only study philosophical texts, but also try to understand the context in which we can think of our own lives in terms of philosophy, that is, we will try to understand the ways in which philosophizing, in particular the consideration of the meaning of human existence, is relevant for our own lives. As you will see, some of the passages we will read are very difficult. An important aim of this class is to learn how to read, comprehend and respond to a philosophical text. You are also allowed to decide on your own topic provided that you discuss your topic with me at least a week before the deadline. Along with the paper topics I will also provide specific guidelines for each topic.