Existentialism: A Philosophical Inquiry

by Joel Smith

Existentialism asks some of the most fundamental questions about human existence: What gives our lives meaning and value? What is it to choose freely? How do I live an authentic life? How should I relate to myself and to others? In this book Joel Smith introduces and assesses the arguments and controversies surrounding these questions in an engaging way, providing a superb introduction to this important and perennial philosophical subject. Connecting existentialist themes with contemporary questions in ethics, philosophy of action, and the emotions, he brings existentialism to life. He does so by focusing on a set of distinctively existentialist questions and themes, including race and gender, whilst at the same time engaging with the classic existentialist texts from Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Fanon and others. The book is organised clearly around the following key topics: Including chapter summaries and annotated further reading, Existentialism: A Philosophical Inquiry is the ideal starting point for anyone interested in this fascinating and important subject, in Philosophy as well as related disciplines such as Literature and Religion.

252 pages, Hardcover

Published June 15, 2022

About the author

Joel Smith is the Fisher Curator at Vassar College, a former fellow in the Department of Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1995-1997), and the author of Edward Steichen: The Early Years (Metropolitan Museum of Art / Princeton University Press, 1999).

Reviews

[Crystal Semple]

WHAT?! Convinced I will never be satisfied in my ability to understand existentialists.

[alyssapeterson]

Essential reading to accompany the 'Existentialism' module I'm taking this semester. Made sense of all of the philosophical ideas we covered and tied everything together. Super useful and would highly recommend if you're interested in starting to read existentialist philosophy.

Some of the chapters include: Meaning, Subjectivity, Freedom, Bad Faith, Angst, Alienation, Gender, Race, Authenticity.