AT 1-001_FA21: Course Alias: at1-1-fa@eckerd.edu
Existentialism became popular as a philosophical and cultural movement in the middle of the twentieth century, when vast social and political changes made clear that basic assumptions about human nature and progress could no longer be taken for granted. In the twenty first century we are facing similar upheavals, due to our growing dependence upon digital technologies, to the challenges to democracy posed by misinformation and the rise of extremist ideologies throughout the world, and to the ever-present threat of the impact of climate change. Existentialism is rooted in a careful analysis of the nature of the human experience, demonstrating that what it means to be human is not something fixed or fully decided by our nature or our historical circumstances, but is something we determine by the ways that we take up and respond to our past and our potential. The existentialist approach to making sense of and taking responsibility for our lives in the context of situations we can never fully grasp or master is as valuable as ever. We will gain an appreciation for this approach and some of its central insights by watching a range of films that illustrate and explore existentialist themes, and by closely reading some of the core texts of existentialist philosophers.
Existentialism became popular as a philosophical and cultural movement in the middle of the twentieth century, when vast social and political changes made clear that basic assumptions about human nature and progress could no longer be taken for granted. In the twenty first century we are facing similar upheavals, due to our growing dependence upon digital technologies, to the challenges to democracy posed by misinformation and the rise of extremist ideologies throughout the world, and to the ever-present threat of the impact of climate change. Existentialism is rooted in a careful analysis of the nature of the human experience, demonstrating that what it means to be human is not something fixed or fully decided by our nature or our historical circumstances, but is something we determine by the ways that we take up and respond to our past and our potential. The existentialist approach to making sense of and taking responsibility for our lives in the context of situations we can never fully grasp or master is as valuable as ever. We will gain an appreciation for this approach and some of its central insights by watching a range of films that illustrate and explore existentialist themes, and by closely reading some of the core texts of existentialist philosophers.
- Profesor: Nate Andersen