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Philosophy as Passion: The Thinking of Simone De Beauvoir

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"Accessible, attractively written (and very well translated), Vintges's study is a convincing defence of de Beauvoir against some of the more common criticisms." ―Radical Philosophy

" . . . Vintges's meticulous textual analysis, logical clarity, and sweeping originality guarantee her book its enduring value. Indispensable for students of Beauvoir's philosophy and existentialism, Vintges's book will prove valuable as well in courses on ethics, postmodernism, and feminist theory." ―Ethics

". . . a highly informative book." ―Teaching Philosophy

" . . . important . . . well worth reading." ―Library Journal

". . . clearly written, comprehensive . . . will prove valuable as well in courses on ethics, postmodernism, and feminist theory." ―Ethics

"The book is essential reading for those interested in Beauvoir and in existentialism generally." ―Women's Philosophy Review

"The moral theory revealed offers ethical answers to some of today's most difficult issues." ―AAUW Outlook

Philosophy as Passion refutes the commonly held view of Simone de Beauvoir as no more than an acolyte of Jean-Paul Sartre. Karen Vintges delineates Beauvoir's independent, original ethics and philosophy, drawing on the moral-philosophical treatises of the 1940s and '50s, The Second Sex, The Mandarins, and her autobiographical works. Vintges shows that Beauvoir's unique notions added an ethical dimension to existentialist philosophy.

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

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Karen Vintges

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Kamakana.
Author 2 books416 followers
September 23, 2025
if you like this review i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com

190318: i have read several on and by de beauvoir, with the intent of reading much feminismlit and philosophy as if from another country, language, culture- women's worlds are after all often as alien to me as say Indic or Japanese philosophy, and this text is excellent help in reading her work. there is some argument whether what she writes is philosophy, sociology, literature, and here it is clear she is engaged with searching, determining, expressing, her own sort of phenomenology and existentialism, often different than sartre, particularly in her insistence on ethics rather than insurmountable barriers between people...

she is her own woman, not simply sartre's companion, and if we need an example of existential creation of your life, of project immediate, continuous, consistent- she lives it. this work refers to her conflicted upbringing, her proud intellect, her search for an ideal life, and suggests her greatest contribution to existentialism is how she builds a convincing ethical possibility, a place for 'love', a way of compassion, rather than insisting each consciousness is alone and either master or slave... she refuses solipsism, alienation, nihilism, but even as she disagrees with Sartre she continues to insist he is greater than her, that he is 'genius', but such might be the effect of love...

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Profile Image for Daniel Peterson.
1 review
February 12, 2024
Imbeds De Beauvoir’s singular philosophy within the context of her fiction among other philosophical writings -philosophical literature highlights the essence of lived experience.
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