Existentialism Is a Humanism Paperback – July 24, 2007

This is a book anyone interested in Philosophy should read, AND it is READABLE!

The author, philosopher Jean Paul Sartre, gave a lecture, followed by a question-and-answer session in Paris, late in 1945. He set out to more clearly define existentialism, which even he admits during the talk is somewhat complicated by the fact that some approach existentialism from a religious point-of-view (such as Jaspers and Dostoevsky) while others approach existentialism from an atheistic point-of-view (such as himself and Heidegger). The transcription of that lecture (which is said to be lightly edited by Sartre himself) makes up the text of this book, including a section for the Q and A that follows.The guiding principle of existentialism, according to Sartre, is as follows:“Existence precedes essence.”Simply put, Sartre wants his listener/reader to understand that we have the power to shape our own lives through our choices. In that sense, we are a blank canvas waiting for the artist (ourselves) to create our own masterpiece. For example, we may not have control over how our boss treats us at work, but we have complete control of how we respond and how we act in the first place.This concept of being in control of the direction of our lives via the choices that we make can be very comforting for some, and it can be very disconcerting for others. Sometimes it may be easier to say:“Well, I wasn’t the only one speeding. It’s just bad luck that I was the one that was caught.”It’s actually not bad luck at all. You made the choice to speed, and as a direct result, you were pulled over and received that speeding ticket.Ultimately the philosophy reduces to choice.I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to better understand existentialism. Since this was written as a lecture, the style is conversational and therefore it makes a complicated topic very easy and pleasant to read.

Many of the existialist writings have influenced me, such as The Age of Reason and The Stranger, but in this book we see Sartre define what Existialism is. The book is a printed version of a lecture Sartre gave defending Existialism because it was being loosely misrepresented in many circles from religious groups, Marxists and people using it as a catch phrase for loose behavior or being artistic. If you want to understand what Existialism is, whether you are new to it or a long term admirer of it, there is no better book to explain it than this one.Sartre begins his lecture explaining how some people misinterpret what Existenialism is, encouraging people to quietism and despair, emphasizing what is despicable, suspicious, base and pessimistic, and how the notion of Existentialism isolating individuals away from society, so they only consider themselves is a false notion.Notable statements from Sartre include: “Man is not only that which he conceives himself to be, but that which he wills himself to be, and since he conceives of himself only after he exists, just as he wills himself to be after being thrown into existence, man is nothing other than what he makes of himself.”“In choosing what you do you should always ask yourself, ‘What would happen if everyone did what I am doing?”He also makes it clear, our choices and our actions define us. And not choosing is a form of choice. There are many more great points he addresses, and the book will be one to read and reread.

This is a great book for someone looking to start examining the philosophy of existentialism or for the person that has already begun on the path and wants to still know more before diving into Being and Nothingness. This is not a systematic approach to the finer points of existentialism which is good for the above stated purposes. What you will get from reading the first part of the book (Sartre's remarks that Existentialism is a Humanism) is a basic explanation of what makes existentialism in its atheistic setting what it is. The book is lacking in the esoteric and abstract theories that are found in the heavier works.The most helpful part of the discourse that is the first part of the book is that Sartre gives a very basic outline of the belief system and answers some of the most basic questions that a person may struggle with in regard to the negative connotations that existentialism can propose once a person comes to the understanding of the "absurdity of life." There is one part of the book that may seem a little dated, this being the part in which Sartre confronts the Communists and their issues with his philosophy. Even so, these parts are still beneficial because they still help to expand and explain what existentialism is and how it relates to other philosophies.The second part of the book is a book review that Sartre wrote on Camus' The Stranger. I almost did not read this part seen as though the original intention was to only read the first part. In fact, I was not even aware that the review was a part of the book. In some ways this may have been the more enjoyable or at the least, equal to the material that was the original reason for purchasing the book! In fact, reading the review may prove helpful for someone wanting to read or re-read The Stranger.All in all, this is a very nice little book. It will help you to learn more or start learning the very basic aspects of what existentialism is, how it answers the most basic of life's questions in regard to some of the troubling questions that this particular philosophy may offer.The book will not answer all of the questions but will definitely give the basics.

It went to the wrong home but Amazon helped and got it to me, great read and great customer service.

Eloquent explanation of what humanism and existentialism means in the words of Sartre. This book recites a lecture given by Sartre defending existentialism. If you are curious it’s a good place to start.

This is a condensed version of his previous book... although I disagree with almost all of his precepts, it was a pretty interesting read.