Hands-On Existentialism: Course Basics

Course Description
Existentialism is often characterized by brooding figures in black turtlenecks, making counterintuitive, mystifying pronouncements about the meaninglessness of life. Based on our everyday experience, Jean-Paul Sartre’s famous slogan, “We are condemned to be free,” seems almost nonsensical. What is better than freedom? And why would we feel condemned by it? Despite these doubts, thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche and Albert Camus have fascinated and inspired millions around the world, and continue to do so. What is the appeal of existentialism? Does it offer us a new way to make sense of our experience? Or is existentialism simply one more way to revolt against the status quo? Or perhaps does its revolt offer a constructive vision of the moral life? This course will explore central texts by Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Beauvoir and Camus. We will examine how existentialism fits into the broader context of modern philosophy, why it flourished so brilliantly during the last 150 years, and what its detractors have to say about its limits or flaws. We’ll also ask whether the ideas of the existentialists are relevant to “real life”, even as these ideas challenge us to reconsider what “real life” really means.

Expectations
Students will come to class having read the material and prepared to ask questions about it. Students will attempt to do the “hands-on” exercise each week. Students taking the course for a letter grade will write a short (3-4 pgs) paper on a topic we can decide on together.

Readings
I’m afraid I’ve made the readings for each week rather complicated. First, there are some required texts for purchase at the Stanford bookstore (or wherever you buy your books). Then, there are also some recommended texts – you might wait to purchase these until I’ve described them a bit in class. Finally, there are some online PDFS that I’d like you to get from the class website, and hopefully print out. If that’s going to be difficult for you, please let me know, and I’ll see if I can print out copies for you. Each week, there are three versions of the reading:
1. The “standard” reading: what I’d really love for you all to be able to read.
2. The “In a Hurry” reading, for those of you who just wished they had more time, but simply don’t.
3. The “Can’t Get Enough” reading, for those of you who had no idea they would love this stuff so much, and simply have to have more immediately. We won’t be covering this final reading suggestion in class, so it might also serve as a suggestion for what to read after the class is complete.

Course Textbooks
You can find the list of required and recommended textbooks here.