University of Bristol

PHIL30079

SARTREAN EXISTENTIALISM
Course Booklet

Jonathan Webber Top Floor, 7 Woodland Road Office Hours: Tuesdays 3pm-5pm jonathan.webber@bristol.ac.uk

Lectures: Tuesdays 10.0010.50 in Link2 behind 9 Woodland Road. Seminars: Thursdays 10.00-10.50 or 11.10-12.00 in seminar room, 9 Woodland Road.

Course Outline
Jean-Paul Sartres celebrated existentialist analysis of the human condition, as laid out in his Being and Nothingness, is again attracting philosophical interest, this time in relation to the nature and knowledge of character and virtue. We will study in detail the key tenets of his position, including his account of the constitution of the familiar world of everyday experience, and his related theories of the nature of values and of human motivation; his conception of the nature of character and its relation to projects; his notions of radical freedom and responsibility, and of our response to them in bad faith; his related description of interpersonal relations; and the possibility of Sartrean existential psychoanalysis.
Course website: http://www.bris.ac.uk/philosophy/current/undergrad/currentunits/Phil30079 Course discussion board: https://www.ole.bris.ac.uk/webapps/login/

PHIIL 30079 Sartrean Existentialism

Essay and Exam

Assessment is entirely by unseen written exam, which will be taken in the summer. You will be required to answer three questions from a list of eight. These eight questions will cover the whole range of topics on the course. Completion of the course also requires you to submit one coursework essay for formative assessment by 4pm on Monday 23 April (i.e., the first day back after the Easter break). Your essay must answer one of the following questions: 1. Is Sartres ontology realist or idealist? 2. What is the ontological status of the ego or psyche in Sartres early philosophy? 3. Explain and assess Sartres account of freedom. 4. What is bad faith?

Books
The course is essentially a study of Sartres book Being and Nothingness. There are library copies, but it is a very good idea to buy your own! You should aim to read the original texts as much as possible. You might find that Joseph Catalanos A Commentary on Jean-Paul Sartres Being and Nothingness is helpful. It tends to employ Sartres idiolect too much, but does condense lengthy discussions considerably. All other books are available in the library, many of them in the Short Loan Collection (SLC).

Course Booklet page 2 of 6

PHIIL 30079 Sartrean Existentialism

Lectures, Seminars, and Reading

Each week will be devoted to a specific topic, but these topics are not independent of one another. In each seminar, we will discuss a paper that is provided in this coursepack. You must read and think about the seminar paper in preparation for the seminar, preferably after the lecture. For this, you should set aside a block of time of at least four hours. The following list of topics also provides reading lists for you to follow up each topic. These should form the basis of your essay and your exam preparation.

Introduction and Overview

No specific primary text for this week.
Reading for seminar:

Sartres play Huis Clos (aka No Exit or In Camera).

For a good and short overview of Sartres work, read either of these:

Robert Bernasconi, How To Read Sartre. Andrew Leak, Jean-Paul Sartre.

Being and Nothingness

Being and Nothingness: Introduction (esp. IV and VI); part I ch. 1 I-V.
Reading for seminar:

Hazel Barnes, Sartres Ontology: The Revealing and Making of Being, in The Cambridge Companion to Sartre, edited by Christina Howells.
Further reading:

Gary Cox, Sartre: A Guide for the Perplexed, pp. 3-12. Gregory McCulloch, Using Sartre, ch. 3. Arthur Danto, Sartre, ch. 2. Gregory McCulloch, Sartre: Between Realism and Idealism?, International Journal of Philosophical Studies 1, no. 2 (1993). Peter Caws, Sartre, chs 4 and 5. Jonathan Webber, Sartres Theory of Character, European Journal of Philosophy 14, no. 1 (2006), esp. V and VI. David Jopling, Sartres Moral Psychology, in The Cambridge Companion to Sartre, edited by Christina Howells.

Course Booklet page 3 of 6

PHIIL 30079 Sartrean Existentialism

Consciousness and the World

Being and Nothingness: part II ch. 1 III-IV; part II ch. 3 II.
Reading for seminar:

Gregory McCulloch, Sartre: Between Realism and Idealism?, International Journal of Philosophical Studies 1, no. 2 (1993).
Further reading:

Hazel Barnes, Sartres Ontology: The Revealing and Making of Being, in The Cambridge Companion to Sartre, edited by Christina Howells. Gary Cox, Sartre: A Guide for the Perplexed, pp. 12-32. Arthur Danto, Sartre, ch. 2. Peter Caws, Sartre, chs 4 and 5. Gregory McCulloch, Using Sartre, ch. 3. Jonathan Webber, Sartres Theory of Character, European Journal of Philosophy 14, no. 1 (2006), esp. V and VI. David Jopling, Sartres Moral Psychology, in The Cambridge Companion to Sartre, edited by Christina Howells.

The Transcendence of the Ego

The Transcendence of the Ego: part II; Being and Nothingness: part II, ch. 2, III.
Reading for seminar:

Phyllis Sutton Morris, Sartre on the Transcendence of the Ego, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 46, no. 2 (1985).
Further reading:

Sarah Richmond, Introduction, in The Transcendence of the Ego by Jean-Paul Sartre, esp. pp. xxiiixxviii. Hazel Barnes, Sartres Ontology: The Revealing and Making of Being, in The Cambridge Companion to Sartre, edited by Christina Howells, esp. pp. 27-36. Jonathan Webber, Sartres Theory of Character, European Journal of Philosophy 14, no. 1 (2006), esp. IV. Peter Caws, Sartre, ch. 4. Christina Howells, Sartre and The Deconstruction of the Subject, in The Cambridge Companion to Sartre, edited by Christina Howells. Phyllis Berdt Kenevan, Self-Consciousness and the Ego in the Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, in The Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp.

Projects: Transcending Facticity

Being and Nothingness: part I ch. 2 II; part IV ch. 1 I and II.
Reading for seminar:

Jonathan Webber, Sartres Theory of Character, European Journal of Philosophy 14, no. 1 (2006).
Further reading:

Gregory McCulloch, Using Sartre, ch. 3 and pp. 56-62. Robert Solomon, True to Oneself: Sartres Bad Faith and Freedom, in Dark Feelings, Grim Thoughts, by Robert Solomon, pp. 133-139. Mary Warnock, Freedom in the Early Philosophy of J.-P. Sartre, in Essays on Freedom of Action, edited by Ted Honderich. Peter McInerney, Self-Determination and the Project, Journal of Philosophy 76, no. 11 (1979). Dagfinn Fllesdal, Sartre on Freedom, in The Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp. Anthony Manser, A New Look at Bad Faith, in Sartre: An Investigation of Some Major Themes, edited by Simon Glynn. David Jopling, Sartres Moral Psychology, in The Cambridge Companion to Sartre, edited by Christina Howells.

Course Booklet page 4 of 6

PHIIL 30079 Sartrean Existentialism

Freedom and The Pursuit of Projects

Being and Nothingness: part I ch. 2 II; part IV ch. 1 I and II.
Reading for seminar:

Peter McInerney, Self-Determination and the Project, Journal of Philosophy 76, no. 11 (1979).
Further reading:

Jonathan Webber, Sartres Theory of Character, European Journal of Philosophy 14, no. 1 (2006). Gregory McCulloch, Using Sartre, ch. 3 and pp. 56-62. Gary Cox, Sartre: A Guide for the Perplexed, ch. 4. Robert Solomon, True to Oneself: Sartres Bad Faith and Freedom, in Dark Feelings, Grim Thoughts, by Robert Solomon. David Jopling, Sartres Moral Psychology, in The Cambridge Companion to Sartre, edited by Christina Howells. Mary Warnock, Freedom in the Early Philosophy of J.-P. Sartre, in Essays on Freedom of Action, edited by Ted Honderich, pp. 3-14. Dagfinn Fllesdal, Sartre on Freedom, in The Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp.

The Content of Bad Faith

Being and Nothingness: part I ch. 1 V; part I ch. 2 II-III.
Reading for seminar:

Gregory McCulloch, Using Sartre, ch. 4.

Further reading:

Robert Bernasconi, How To Read Sartre, ch. 4. Gary Cox, Sartre: A Guide for the Perplexed, pp. 96-122. Anthony Manser, A New Look at Bad Faith, in Sartre: An Investigation of Some Major Themes, edited by Simon Glynn. Robert Solomon, True to Oneself: Sartres Bad Faith and Freedom, in Dark Feelings, Grim Thoughts, by Robert Solomon. Jonathan Webber, Sartres Theory of Character, European Journal of Philosophy 14, no. 1 (2006). Ronald Santoni, Bad Faith, Good, Faith, and Authenticity in Sartres Early Philosophy, chs. 1, and 4. Robert Stone, Sartre on Bad Faith and Authenticity, in The Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp. Stefanie Grne, Sartre on Mistaken Sincerity, European Journal of Philosophy 11, no. 2 (2003).

Bad Faith and the Unconscious

Being and Nothingness: part 1 ch. 2. I and III.
Reading for seminar:

Joseph Catalano, Successfully Lying To Oneself: A Sartrean Perspective, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 50, no. 4 (1990).
Further reading:

Ronald Santoni, Bad Faith and Lying to Oneself, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 38, no. 3 (1978). Reprinted in his Bad Faith, Good, Faith, and Authenticity in Sartres Early Philosophy. Jonathan Webber, Motivated Aversion: Bad Faith and Non-Thetic Awareness, Sartre Studies International 8, no. 1 (2002) available from my website. Robert Solomon, True to Oneself: Sartres Bad Faith and Freedom, in Dark Feelings, Grim Thoughts, by Robert Solomon, pp. 139-151. Gregory McCulloch, Using Sartre, pp. 54-6 and 62-70. Anthony Manser, A New Look at Bad Faith, in Sartre: An Investigation of Some Major Themes, edited by Simon Glynn. Ivan Soll, Sartres Rejection of the Freudian Unconscious, in The Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp, ch. 24. Gary Cox, Sartre: A Guide for the Perplexed, ch. 6.

Course Booklet page 5 of 6

PHIIL 30079 Sartrean Existentialism

The Story So Far

In the first week after the Easter break, we will revise and consolidate the topics covered so far.
Reading for seminar:

Anthony Manser, A New Look at Bad Faith, in Sartre: An Investigation of Some Major Themes, edited by Simon Glynn.

The Look
Being and Nothingness: part III ch 1 IV.
Reading for seminar:

Robert Solomon, No Way Out: Sartres No Exit and Being-for-Others, in Dark Feelings, Grim Thoughts, by Robert Solomon.
Further reading:

Sartres play Huis Clos (aka No Exit or In Camera). Gregory McCulloch, Using Sartre, pp. 121-135. George Stack and Robert Plant, The Phenomenon of The Look, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 42, no. 3 (1982). Gary Cox, Sartre: A Guide for the Perplexed, ch. 2. Hazel Barnes, Sartre, ch. 5. William Schroeder, Sartre and his Predecessors, pp. 174-234. Peter Caws, Sartre, ch. 7. Arthur Danto, Sartre, pp. 90-112.

Relations with Other People

Being and Nothingness: part III ch 3 I-III.
Reading for seminar:

James Giles, Sartre, Sexual Desire, and Relations with Others, in French Existentialism, edited by James Giles.
Further reading:

Sartres play Huis Clos (aka No Exit or In Camera). Hazel Barnes, Sartre, ch. 5. Gregory McCulloch, Using Sartre, pp. 135-140. William Schroeder, Sartre and his Predecessors, pp. 234-258. Thomas Jones, Useless Passions?, in French Existentialism, edited by James Giles. Arthur Danto, Sartre, pp. 90-112. Jean-Paul Sartre, part I of Portrait of the Anti-Semite, also published as Anti-Semite and Jew.

Existential Psychoanalysis
Being and Nothingness: part IV ch 2 I.
Reading for seminar:

Hazel Barnes, Sartre, ch. 3.

Further reading:

James Edie, Sartre as Phenomenologist and as Existentialist Psychoanalyst, in Phenomenology and Existentialism, edited by Edward Lee and Maurice Mendelbaum, ch. 6. Lee Brown and Alan Hausman, Mechanism, Intentionality, and the Unconscious: A Comparison of Sartre and Freud, in The Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp.
NB: This issue draws on some previous ones. Use the lecture notes and your reading to find relevant

ideas and articles from the rest of the course.

Course Booklet page 6 of 6