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6:00 PM-7:30 PM

Philosophy Club: Jean-Paul Sartre - Existentialism and Human Emotions

Philosophical Discussion|Philosophical Discussion

  • Goethe-Institut Boston, Boston, MA

  • English
  • Part of series: Philosophy Club

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Sartre’s Existentialism and Human Emotions is a stirring defense of existentialist thought, which argues that “existence precedes essence.” While attacks on existentialism claim that the philosophy leads to a kind of nihilistic gloom, Sartre contends that instead existentialism is the only path toward giving man meaning. Sartre ultimately argues that by the very absence of “a priori meaning,” an individual can discover and shape his or her own significance and place in the world. 
Discussion will center around Sartre’s concepts of existential nihilism, freedom, responsibility, and ethics grounded in a world lacking intrinsic meaning.
(Discussion will take place in English.)
 

Bruce Kaplan

Moderator

Bruce Kaplan has moderated the Goethe Philosophy Discussion group since 2011. A practicing urban planner, he received graduate training in Continental Philosophy and modern intellectual history. His independent scholarship has focused on modern intellectual history, film, architecture, urban planning, communal studies and Jewish studies. He has presented at more than a dozen academic and professional conferences on 4 continents.