What book should I read if I want to learn about existentialism?

Question

Maybe a specific author, or possibly a secondary source who does a good job of summarizing all of the different angles and developers of the philosophy.

Answer 1

I suggest you pick one or two books from this list (ideally, an intro and an anthology) and dive in.

A book often regarded as a classic introduction to existentialism is David Cooper's Existentialism: A Reconstruction. It's not too long and it gives a good overview of the whole movement. But it isn't cheap.

A recent anthology of original texts is Basic Writings of Existentialism, edited by Gordon Marino. A fat book at a great price.

A very short introduction to existentialism is Existentialism: A Very Short Introduction by Thomas Flynn. Cheap.

Several older books that are very popular are William Barrett's Irrational Man, an overview; Exististentialism from Dostroevsky to Sartre, an anthology edited by Walter Kaufmann; and The Existentialists: A Critical Study by James Collins.

Finally, if you're new to philosophy you might want to consider Introducing Existentialism by Richard Appignanesi, an easy to read overview in a comic book format.

Answer 2

The Myth of Sysiphus, by Albert Camus.

Existentialism is the view that existence precedes essence, namely in that morality is something we determine from our own circumstances, rather than a code of ethics (like the 10 Commandments) that has always existed as part of the essence of the universe.

In other words, man determines what is right and wrong. It is not defined by any god or by any book or previous generation.

It sprung out of the Nazi experience before, after and during WWII. There were many clergymen who supported the Nazis as a necessary manner of combating "godless communism" and other atheistic philosophies.

Martin Heidigger was one of the major essayists on the subject, but he is rather deep and the translations of his works to English are awful.

Answer 3

Try CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Fyodor Dostoevsky. He isn't the foremost go-to author (like Sartre or Camus) when it comes to the existentialist philosophy, but the book is excellent anyway.

Answer 4

Try:
Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre, edited, with an introd., prefaces, and new translations, by Walter Kaufmann.
New York, New American Library [c1975] 384 p.

Answer 5

albert camus's "the stranger" or jp sartre's "nausea" the 1st is a brilliant e book and relaxing study, whether it may be too user-friendly to impression her. the 2d isn't an rather solid novel for leisure or psychological applications, yet sartre is a god to a pair human beings for despite reason and this e book substitute into his first novel and contained a lot of his techniques as an existentialist

Answer 6

The Stranger by Albert Camus.

Answer 7

Read the play, "NO EXIT" by Jean Paul Sartre. It embodies existentialism (if such a thing is possible...)