Freedom Condemned

by Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre’s most influential existentialist work, Being and Nothingness, broken down into its most fertile ideas
In To Freedom Condemned, Sartre’s most influential work, Being and Nothingness, is laid bare, presenting the philosopher’s key ideas regarding existentialism. Covering the philosophers Hegel, Heidegger, and Husserl, and mulling over such topics as love, God, death, and freedom, To Freedom Condemned goes on to consider Sartre’s treatment of the complexities around human existence.

Genres: Philosophy

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1949

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

[aidan carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’ve had a difficult time approaching his theory at full scale in the past and found this reference book to be super approachable while maintaining accuracy. i wish more guides were formatted in this categorical zoom-out style. really helps in allowing one to build on foundations of their understanding in an organic way. the discussion of intimacy / sadism / masochism in this book analyzed through the concept of alienating looks + the apprehending of the self /Other will really stick with me. i appreciate his work so much.

[Marwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The translated version of the book is a bit confusing and complicated but interestingly I read the book while I was actually going through the condition of being in anguish with itself which helped me to understand the book.