Existentialism Willem A. devries Existentialism captures our interest today precisely because it is not about existence in general it is focused intensely on human existence. What is the meaning of human existence? What is a meaningful human existence? Our very ability to pose these questions seems to separate us from the rest of creation. We are, as Heidegger might say, the beings that in our being our being is in question. Furthermore, who we are and what we are as humans seems to depend vitally on what answers we give when our being is in question. Because of this peculiarity, we don t seem to fit into the world in any clear and univocal way: we are not mere animals, creatures of instinct filling in a distinctive ecological niche, but we are certainly not angels or pure spirits removed from and independent of nature; we are rational beings, capable of choosing our actions and our motives deliberately, yet the currents of our lives are so often shaped by irrational or arational forces within us; we are free agents who cannot be identified with either our pasts or our plans, yet separated from the determining influences of our past and our attempts to realize the future within the strictures of a causally determined world, what is left of us? We are each private, self-contained, independent subjectivities that nonetheless live within a public, objective reality we cannot escape. That is to say, we are a tension: neither pure nature nor pure spirit, neither pure subject nor pure object. Individuals confront these tensions within themselves and resolve them in their own way or not. Too often humans have no decisive, determinate mode of existence. Some take no responsibility for what they are. In a paradoxical sense, such people do have a determinate, univocal mode of existence: being at the mercy of circumstance. Yet being entirely at the mercy of circumstance is not a fully human mode of existence, for then no being is in question and all meaning is Nietzsche external. Most of us take partial responsibility for what we are, claiming the odd accomplishment here and there, disavowing anything uncomfortable and we end up being nothing in particular. A fundamental theme of existentialism is that human individuals are condemned to be free and cannot escape responsibility for what they are. Finding a meaningful resolution to the tensions that constitute us as human is the existential quest. There is no single existentialist answer to this quest. There is no doctrinal unity among the existentialists generally. Some think that only faith in the divine can resolve the dilemmas of humanity, that we can take responsibility for ourselves only by
handing ourselves over to God. Some think that we must strive to achieve something beyond humanity; we should reject the inadequacies that befoul the human race and transcend the human. Others think that no general answer can be found to the problem: each person must develop a unique and personal accommodation with the world into which we re thrown, but one which is not merely self-serving egoism. Fundamental dimensions of human identity are always in focus in existentialism: one s religious, gender, racial, national, familial and professional identities. Existential philosophy is a deeply literary form of philosophy. This makes it both more fun and more challenging than more prosaic forms of philosophy. We will read some relatively straightforward philosophical works, some pure literature, novels and plays, but also some works that are neither pure literature nor pure philosophy. No prior experience with philosophy is assumed in this course, but I do expect a lot of reading, discussion, and writing. Learning philosophy is not memorizing a bunch of doctrine it is not catechism. Learning philosophy is learning to philosophize, to engage in critical reflection on the fundamental structures of human activity. Engagement is a central existential concept; existential philosophy cannot be done impersonally: take it personally or don t take it at all. Camus About Me: My office is Nesmith 308. The phone there is 862-3077. Office hours will be TR 9-11 and 1-3, and by appointment. Take the appointment part seriously: I know there is no set of office hours that will be convenient for everyone. My home phone is 942-7510. Email: willem.devries@unh.edu. I prefer talking to students over almost anything else the University requires of me, so please feel free to drop by. Required Texts: Søren Kierkegaard, A Kierkegaard Anthology, ed. By R. Bretall. Princeton University Press, 1973. Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, trans. by Maudemarie Clark and Alan J. Swenson. Hackett Publishing, 1998. Albert Camus, The Stranger, trans. Matthew Ward. Vintage, 1989. Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea, trans. Lloyd Alexander. New Directions, 1949. Jean-Paul Sartre, Anti-Semite and Jew, trans. George Becker. Schocken, 1948. Richard Wright, The Outsider, Harper Perennial, 1993 (Please buy the books early; at midterm, the bookstores will start sending the remaining copies back to the publisher or warehouse.) Syllabus Jan. 26 Introductions
Jan. 28 Feb. 2 Feb. 4 Readings: Selection ( In place of an Introduction ) from Alexander Kojève, Introduction to the Reading of Hegel. On BlackBoard. Reading: Kierkegaard: From Either/Or: The Rotation Method, Diapsalmata, Diary of a Seducer, pp. 19-80. Writing Assignment #1 due Reading: Kierkegaard: From Either/Or: The Aesthetic Validity of Marriage, Equilibrium, pp. 80-108 Feb. 9 Reading: Either/Or: Excerpt from the Jutland Priest s Ultimatum on BlackBoard; Kierkegaard: From Fear & Trembling, pp. 116-134 Feb. 11 Reading: Kierkegaard: From Concluding Unscientific Postscript, pp. 207-58 Quiz #1 Feb. 16 Reading: Kierkegaard: From Sickness unto Death, pp. 339-371 Paper #1 Due 12 noon Feb. 17 Feb. 18 Reading; Richard Wright, The Outsider, Book I Dread, pp. 1-148; Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morality, Preface Feb. 23 Reading: Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morality, First Treatise, pp. 1-33 Feb. 25 Reading: Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morality, Second Treatise, pp. 35-66 Mar. 2 Mar. 3 Reading: Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morality, Third Treatise, pp. 67-118 Mar. 8 Reading: Albert Camus, The Stranger Mar. 10 Reading: Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, on Blackboard Paper #2 due 8:00am Mar. 11; then Spring Break! Beauvoir and Sartre Mar. 22 Reading: Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea Mar. 24 Reading; Richard Wright, The Outsider, Book II Dream, pp. 149-252 Mar. 28 (Monday) Viewing of Jean-Luc Godard s Breathless ( À bout de souffle ) Mar. 29 Discussion of movie; Reading: Simone de Beauvoir, Literature and Metaphysics Bb Mar. 31 Reading: Jean-Paul Sartre, Some basic concepts: Consciousness (B&N, 10-16); Being-in-itself (B&N 24-30); Negation (B&N 36-44); Bad Faith (B&N 86-
90; 96-112), on Bb Apr. 5 Apr. 7 Apr. 12 Apr. 14 Readings: Jean-Paul Sartre, Some basic concepts: The Other and the Look (B&N 340-354), on Bb; No Exit, link on Bb. Reading; Richard Wright, The Outsider, Book III Descent, pp. 253-309 Quiz #2 Apr. 19 Apr. 21 Reading: Jean-Paul Sartre, Ethical Implications (B&N 795-98), on Bb; Existentialism is a Humanism link on Bb Continued; Reading: Jean-Paul Sartre, Anti-Semite and Jew, Part I Wright Apr. 26 Reading: Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, Introduction,Book 1, Chs 1-2, link on Bb Apr. 28 Reading: Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, Book 1, Ch 3, & Conclusion; Charlotte Witt, What is Gender Essentialism?, link on Bb May 3 May 4 May 5 Reading: Richard Wright, The Outsider, Books IV Despair & V Decision pp. 310-586 Evening viewing of Sam Mendes American Beauty Discussion of Sam Mendes American Beauty Final Exam: Wednesday, May 18, 1:00-3:00 Final Papers Due: Friday, May 13, (yes, Friday the 13 th, get over it), noon. Grading 3 papers @ 20% 60% Reading Response 1 4% 2 Quizzes 14% Final Examination 12% Attendance and Participation 10% Total 100% I accept papers in both hardcopy and digital forms. If digital, please ensure that your last name is the first part of the file name. Hopefully unnecessary notes:
In terms of the University curriculum, this course has the following attributes: Inquiry (Discovery), Humanities(Discovery), Literature, Phil,& Ideas GP 8 ; within the Philosophy major, it counts as a history course. Electronic devices have become essential tools in modern education; I therefore will not ban their use in class. But you are on your honor to use such devices only for classroom purposes during class. This means no email, texting, websurfing, game-playing, or other distractions. When you are in class, be there. If the class isn t doing it for you, speak up, get involved and make it right. Plagiarism is a betrayal of central intellectual virtues; what it means for your character and personal integrity is devastating. Don t do it; the results are catastrophic, even if you re not caught. If you have questions about the proper boundaries, protect yourself and ask me. According to the student handbook, plagiarism is The unattributed use of the ideas, evidence, or words of another person, or the conveying of the false impression that the arguments and writing in a paper are the student s own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to the following: 1. The acquisition by purchase or otherwise of a part or the whole of a piece of work which is represented as the student s own; 2. The representation of the ideas, data, or writing of another person as the student s own work, even though some wording, methods of citation, or arrangement of evidence, ideas, or arguments have been altered; 3. Concealment of the true sources of information, ideas, or argument in any piece of work. The penalties for plagiarism can be stiff: from an "F" for an assignment to an "F" for a course, or, in some cases, expulsion from the University. It is in your best interest to make sure you understand the UNH policy. See http://cola.unh.edu/plagiarism-tutorial-0 for further information. The University is committed to providing students with documented disabilities equal access to all university programs and facilities. If you think you have a disability requiring accommodations, you must register with Disability Services for Students (DSS), Contact DSS at (603) 862-2607 or disability.office@unh.edu. If you have received Accommodation Letters for this course from DSS, please provide me with that information privately in my office so that we can review those accommodations.