"Displaying a masterful grasp of the texts, the author shows how otherness forces itself upon the existentialist Sartre, gradually constraining him to modify his understanding of consciousness as omnipotent. The issue is Sartre’s discovery of the social and its conceptual assimilation into his individualistic, consciousness-oriented philosophy." —Thomas R. Flynn "This very successful and accessible scholarly book... is simultaneously a succinct and clear overview of Sartre’s philosophical works.... and a fresh consideration of Sartre’s body of work." —Choice "Busch’s admirably (...) clear and compact discussion is essential reading for Sartre scholars, since it powerfully addresses many issues dividing them... " —Ethics "... a useful overview of the evolution of Sartre’s thought... " —Review of Politics "... a thought provoking reassessment of Sartre's philosophical career." —Man and World "... succinct, richly documented survey... " —International Studies in Philosophy. (shrink)

Existentialism has come to be identified as a critical, reactionary way of thinking, celebrating the individual, freedom, embodiment, and the limits of rationality and systematic theorizing. For the most part this assessment is true of the early and, by now, “classical” works of existentialism, those that first burst upon the philosophical and cultural scene. Circulating Being centers on the later works of several well-known French existentialists (Camus, Marcel, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty) to trace out the development of their existential thinking about language, (...) communicative life, ethics, and politics. This development “from embodiment to incorporation” carries existentialism beyond identification with the mere reactionary and reveals how, while prefiguring postmodernism in important ways, the existential thinkers dealt with here reveal themselves to be reconstructive of the Western tradition. This is apparent in the growing appreciation of difference in their late works along with a reluctance to surrender the ideal of unity, and in their reappropriation of truth and justice while repudiating a totalizing metaphysics. (shrink)

As debate continues1 we hope to shed some light on the development of Sartre's thought by returning to his philosophical beginnings, to his phenomenology, confident that it is here, in its origins, that we will find what has always been the very center of his thought.

Late in his career, Sartre told us that “subjectivity (in Being and Nothingness) is not what it is for me now,” but I do not think that this should be understood as simple rejection. Rather, I think that his notion of the “spiral” best expresses his meaning. The development of his thought progressed through levels of integrating new experience with the past and, in the process, refigured the past. Sartre was, all along, a philosopher protective of subjectivity and freedom, but (...) these notionsunderwent transformation over time, preserved and modified in their surpassing. Sartre’s philosophical itinerary follows the model of the spiral, and in that way, he is his own best commentator. (shrink)

Late in his career, Sartre told us that “subjectivity is not what it is for me now,” but I do not think that this should be understood as simple rejection. Rather, I think that his notion of the “spiral” best expresses his meaning. The development of his thought progressed through levels of integrating new experience with the past and, in the process, refigured the past. Sartre was, all along, a philosopher protective of subjectivity and freedom, but these notionsunderwent transformation over (...) time, preserved and modified in their surpassing. Sartre’s philosophical itinerary follows the model of the spiral, and in that way, he is his own best commentator. (shrink)

Late in his career, Sartre told us that “subjectivity (in Being and Nothingness) is not what it is for me now,” but I do not think that this should be understood as simple rejection. Rather, I think that his notion of the “spiral” best expresses his meaning. The development of his thought progressed through levels of integrating new experience with the past and, in the process, refigured the past. Sartre was, all along, a philosopher protective of subjectivity and freedom, but (...) these notionsunderwent transformation over time, preserved and modified in their surpassing. Sartre’s philosophical itinerary follows the model of the spiral, and in that way, he is his own best commentator. (shrink)

The intention of the discussion is twofold: to offer a reading of sartre's entire philosophy based on his reworking of husserl's "epoche", And to apply this reading to his treatment of human relationships. Care is taken to show how an understanding of sartre's use of the reduction illuminates his presentation of human relationships in "being and nothingness" and the later "critique".

The philosophy of Maurice Merleau-Ponty is becoming more and more known. He is assuming the part of a major figure in the history of both phenomenology and existentialism. Works on Merleau-Ponty and excerpts from his writings separately published have been either piece-meal, displaying only certain areas of his philosophical interest, or are simple resumes of what he had to say. My thesis is that his interpretation of the cogito inspires his work as a whole. My intention, then, is to render (...) intelligible the philosophy of Maurice Merleau-Ponty in the light of his formulation of the cogito. Because his philosophy was consciously developed within the context of certain scientific and philosophical movements, these shall have their place in this work. With the exception of Le visible et l'lnvislble. a work posthumously published, all of Merleau-Ponty's philosophical works are available in English translation. When any of this untranslated work appears in the body of the dissertation, the English translation will by my own and the French text will be immediately available in a footnote. This holds also for the standard commentary on Merleau-Ponty, Alphonse de Waelhens' La philosophie de l'amiguite. Important texts from the other works will be marked with an asterisk and will be available in French, in the Appendix. (shrink)