Sartre: A Guide for the Perplexed

by Gary Cox

Overview

Jean-Paul Sartre in one of the most widely read and important of twentieth-century philosophers, an iconic figure, whose ideas and writings continue to resonate. A confident understanding of Sartre is essential for students of Continental philosophy. Sartre: A Guide for the Perplexed is an illuminating and comprehensive introduction to the work of this major twentieth-century thinker. It identifies the four key themes that run through Sartre's writings - consciousness, freedom, bad faith and authenticity. It explores each theme in detail, building up a clear and thorough overview of Sartre's philosophy in its entirety. Anyone required to read Sartre will find this thematic account of his work an invaluable companion to study.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826487063
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/23/2006
Series:	Guides for the Perplexed
Pages:	194
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.41(d)

About the Author

Gary Cox has a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Birmingham, UK, where he is also an Honorary Research Fellow.

Table of Contents

Preface

PART ONE: CONSCIOUSNESS1. Being-for-Itself a. Being and Non-Being b. Subjectivity and Objectivity c. Consciousness and Temporality d. Self-Consciousness2. Being for Others3. The Body

PART TWO: FREEDOM4. Existential Freedom a. The Necessity of Freedom b. Action, Choice and the Indeterminacy of the Self c. The Limits of Freedom: Criticisms of Sartre's Theory of Freedom

PART THREE: BAD FAITH5. The Phenomenon of Bad Faith a. Bad Faith and Self-deception b. Relinquishing Responsibility: The Flirt c. Automaton or Actor?: The Waiter d. Objectifying Emotions: Sadness e. Insincerity and Sincerity: The Homosexual and The Champion of Sincerity f. Being and Not Being What We Are: The Coward6. The Faith of Bad Faith: The Primitive Project

PART FOUR: AUTHENTICITY7. Sartre on Authenticity8. Sartre and Nietzsche9. Sartre and Heidegger

BibliographyFurther Reading

Editorial Reviews

"By discussing the limits of [Sartre's] arguments and assessing the criticisms levelled against him, the author maintains a balanced view and does not go along with the tendency of the 1980s and 1990s to dismiss his work as incoherent and insignificant. Equally helpful are the examples from everyday life illustrating particularly difficult ideas, like the use of the pixelated image of an actor on screen to explain intentionality (p.17)."--Sanford Lakoff "Journal Of European Studies "

"Cox's book is much more than an introduction to Sartre ... Sartre: A Guide for the Perplexed is well worth reading and thinking about. It would be useful in existentialism classes, history of philosophy classes, philosophy of mind, and in Great Books programs which focus on the chronological development of ideas in the Western world."--Sanford Lakoff

'Exceptionally clear and incisive ... This book will be hugely helpful to readers of Sartre and will, I believe, prove to be of lasting value.' Nicholas Dent, Professor (Emeritus) of Philosophy, University of Birmingham

From the Publisher