Sartre: Consciousness, Freedom, Bad Faith

by Gary Cox

By the author of How to Be an Existentialist and The Sartre Dictionary , this organised, accessible, entertaining and detailed introduction to Jean-Paul Sartre’s fascinating philosophical theory of consciousness, freedom and bad faith is perfect for both students and the general reader. As this book clearly explains, Sartre’s phenomenological theory of consciousness - as detailed in his major work Being and Nothingness - lies at the heart of his existentialism, his comprehensive theory of the human condition.

In exploring the relationship between human consciousness and the world (between being-for-itself and being-in-itself) this book simultaneously investigates Sartre’s ideas on self-consciousness, time, facticity, transcendence, desire, lack, the role of the physical body, being-for-others, anxiety, mortality and so on.

Central to this book is the idea that understanding Sartre's theory of consciousness is essential to a proper understanding of his key theories of freedom and bad faith. To be conscious is to be free and to be free is to have to make choices and act accordingly. Acting as though we have no choice, irresponsibly attempting to choose not to choose, is bad faith, while positive, responsible choosing is authenticity. It’s all clearly explained in this book.

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 24, 2014

About the author

Gary Cox is a British philosopher and biographer and the author of several books on Jean-Paul Sartre, existentialism, general philosophy, ethics and philosophy of sport.