Of Human Freedom

by Jean-Paul Sartre

This rare and vintage book is a perfect addition to any bibliophile's collection

Genres: Philosophy

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism. Sartre was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology). His work has influenced sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory, and literary studies. He was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature despite attempting to refuse it, saying that he always declined official honors and that "a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution."
Sartre held an open relationship with prominent feminist and fellow existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. Together, Sartre and de Beauvoir challenged the cultural and social assumptions and expectations of their upbringings, which they considered bourgeois, in both lifestyles and thought. The conflict between oppressive, spiritually destructive conformity (mauvaise foi, literally, 'bad faith') and an "authentic" way of "being" became the dominant theme of Sartre's early work, a theme embodied in his principal philosophical work Being and Nothingness (L'Être et le Néant, 1943). Sartre's introduction to his philosophy is his work Existentialism Is a Humanism (L'existentialisme est un humanisme, 1946), originally presented as a lecture.

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being and Nothingness lite. Sections from the magnum opus of his early philosophy along with a passage from Anti-Semite and the Jew, something called the Psychology of Imagination (never heard of it except for here, probably it has a better title translation), and Nausea. THe kind of book you find in thrift stores and used bookstores from a time when philosophy books were produced for general consumption.

[Neil Mudde · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very interesting thoughts on various philosophies a bit heavy, but taken in small doses well worth the read