Existentialism

Existential philosophy responds to the crisis of meaning that arises from both the ambiguity of the human condition and from historical and social events that question the significance and efficacy of human knowledge and existence. Powerful experiences of alienation, guilt, suffering, joy and boredom are viewed as fundamental to human experience and constitutive of individuality. These experiences force us to face our freedom, responsibility, and guilt as well as limiting our sense of effective and meaningful action. The task of existential thought is to locate or create meaning given the ambiguity of human existence. These themes appear in courses on authors such as Beauvoir, Heidegger, Jaspers, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, as well as within topical courses such as philosophy and literature and philosophy of religion. Existential themes are not limited to a particular epoch, and we often explore them in connection with Jewish philosophy, philosophy of race, and questions concerning war, violence and justice.

Recent and Prospective Courses:

Beauvoir
Buber and Levinas
Existentialism
Heidegger
Kierkegaard
Merleau-Ponty
Nietzsche
Philosophy and Literature

Philosophy Faculty:

Will Davie
John Lysaker
Cheyney Ryan
Peter Warnek
Naomi Zack