Being And Nothingness

Sartre explains the theory of existential psychoanalysis in this treatise on human reality

The celebrated French philosopher’s most essential text, Being and Nothingness takes a revolutionary look at ontology, ethics, and personal freedom In Being and Nothingness, Jean-Paul Sartre closely examines ontology (the study of the nature of being) and discusses empirical issues that he finds scientific fields struggle to explain. Above all, he delves into the idea of “freedom over choice,” which states that humans have complete and total responsibility over their actions. While taking care to address, build on, and refute the works of Descartes, Husserl, Hegel, and other earlier philosophers, Sartre covers “Being-for-itself,” “Being-for-others,” and ethics, arguing that the body and the mind are capable of sharing a true single consciousness. As one of the seminal works of existentialist theory, and thus a pinnacle of twentieth-century philosophy, Being and Nothingness is a fundamental text for anyone interested in the field. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) was a significant voice in the creation of existential thought. His explorations of the ways human existence is unique among all life-forms in its capacity to choose continue to influence fields such as Marxist philosophy, sociology, and literary studies. He was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature, but refused the honor.

Revisit one of the most important pillars in modern philosophy with this new English translation—the first in more than 60 years—of Jean-Paul Sartre’s seminal treatise on existentialism. “This is a philosophy to be reckoned with, both for its own intrinsic power and as a profound symptom of our time” (The New York Times). In 1943, Jean-Paul Sartre published his masterpiece, Being and Nothingness, and laid the foundation of his legacy as one of the greatest twentieth century philosophers. A brilliant and radical account of the human condition, Being and Nothingness explores what gives our lives significance. In a new, more accessible translation, this foundational text argues that we alone create our values and our existence is characterized by freedom and the inescapability of choice. Far from being an internal, passive container for our thoughts and experiences, human consciousness is constantly projecting itself to the outside world and imbuing it with meaning. Now with a new foreword by Harvard professor of philosophy Richard Moran, this clear-eyed translation guarantees that the groundbreaking ideas that Sartre introduced in this resonant work will continue to inspire for generations to come.

This text presents a concise and accessible introduction Jean-Paul Satre's existentialist book 'Being and Nothingness'.

"[A Commentary on Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness] represents, I believe, a very important beginning of a deservingly serious effort to make the whole of Being and Nothingness more readily understandable and readable. . . . In his systematic interpretations of Sartre's book, [Catalano] demonstrates a determination to confront many of the most demanding issues and concepts of Being and Nothingness. He does not shrink—as do so many interpreters of Sartre—from such issues as the varied meanings of 'being,' the meaning of 'internal negation' and 'absolute event,' the idiosyncratic senses of transcendence, the meaning of the 'upsurge' in its different contexts, what it means to say that we 'exist our body,' the connotation of such concepts as quality, quantity, potentiality, and instrumentality (in respect to Sartre's world of 'things'), or the origin of negation. . . . Catalano offers what is doubtless one of the most probing, original, and illuminating interpretations of Sartre's crucial concept of nothingness to appear in the Sartrean literature."—Ronald E. Santoni, International Philosophical Quarterly

Books about The Credo of Being and Nothingness

Being and Nothingness is without doubt one of the most significant books of the twentieth century. The central work by one of the world's most influential thinkers, it altered the course of western philosophy. Its revolutionary approach challenged all previous assumptions about the individual's relationship with the world. Known as 'the Bible of existentialism', its impact on culture and literature was immediate and was felt worldwide, from the absurd drama of Samuel Beckett to the soul-searching cries of the Beat poets. Being and Nothingness is one of those rare books whose influence has affected the mind-set of subsequent generations. Sixty years after its first publication, its message remains as potent as ever - challenging the reader to confront the fundamental dilemmas of human freedom, responsibility and action.

This work argues that Jean-Paul Sartre's early philosophy had a notable inheritance from the Christian doctrine of original sin. With particular attention to being and nothingness, Kirkpatrick connects Sartre to an Augustinian tradition of Christian thought according to which nothingness enters the world with the creation of the human.

Explores the cosmological and metaphysical thought in the Zhuangzi from the perspective of nothingness. Zhuangzi and the Becoming of Nothingness offers a radical rereading of the Daoist classic Zhuangzi by bringing to light the role of nothingness in grounding the cosmological and metaphysical aspects of its thought. Through a careful analysis of the text and its appended commentaries, David Chai reveals not only how nothingness physically enriches the myriad things of the world, but also why the Zhuangzi prefers nothingness over being as a means to expound the authentic way of Dao. Chai weaves together Dao, nothingness, and being in order to reassess the nature and significance of Daoist philosophy, both within its own historical milieu and for modern readers interested in applying the principles of Daoism to their own lived experiences. Chai concludes that nothingness is neither a nihilistic force nor an existential threat; instead, it is a vital component of Dao’s creative power and the life-praxis of the sage. “Chai provides an elaborate philosophical meontological interpretation of the ontology/cosmology found in the Zhuangzi and the implications for existential practice. It’s a close, careful, but in many respects quite original reading of the classic that contributes significantly to the

Wie macht man Philosophie aus Aprikosencocktails? Für Sartre kein Problem: Er machte Philosophie aus einem Schwindelgefühl, aus Voyeurismus, Scham, Sadismus, Revolution, Musik und Sex. Sarah Bakewell erzählt mit wunderbarer Leichtigkeit, wie der Existenzialismus zum Lebensgefühl einer Generation wurde, die sich nach radikaler Freiheit und authentischer Existenz sehnte. Ihre meisterhafte Kollektivbiographie der Existenzialisten ist zugleich eine höchst verführerische Einladung, die existenzialistische Lebenskunst heute neu zu entdecken. „Sarah Bakewell bringt alle Voraussetzungen mit, um uns die Geschichte des Existenzialismus neu zu erzählen. ... Sie schreibt brillant, mit leichter Feder und einem sehr britischen Humor, und bietet faszinierende Einsichten.“ The Guardian „Sie hat den Dreh raus, wie man zentrale Ideen auf den Punkt bringt.“ Financial Times „Skurril, witzig, klar und leidenschaftlich.“ Daily Mail „Ein Page-Turner.“ The Paris Review