Existential Philosophy
PHIL 441
William Schroeder

We will look at some of the founding texts and thinkers in the existentialist tradition: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre. The central theme of the course will be authenticity: its nature, value, and the best means of achieving it. The major figures have very different conceptions of this central ideal, and we will examine these differences, think them through, and try to resolve them. We will also look at some recent theorists that provide perspective on the topic and examine its current importance. We will try to determine whether we should regard authenticity as a viable ideal today.

Texts: Kierkegaard, The Present Age; Nietzsche: Untimely Meditations; Heidegger, Being and Time; Sartre, Being and Nothingness and Notebooks for an Ethic; Guignon, On Authenticity; Bergmann, On Being Free; Taylor, Ethics of Authenticity.

Course requirements: midterm, final, and term paper.