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No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life

Written by: Robert C. Solomon, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Robert C. Solomon
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Publisher's Summary

What is life? What is my place in it? What choices do these questions obligate me to make? More than a half-century after it burst upon the intellectual scene - with roots that extend to the mid-19th century - Existentialism's quest to answer these most fundamental questions of individual responsibility, morality, and personal freedom has continued to exert a profound attraction.

Now, in a series of 24 probing and thoughtful lectures, you can enrich your own understanding of this unique philosophical wave, the visionary thinkers it brought together to ponder and debate these questions, and the prominent role it still plays in contemporary thought.

"Existentialism is, in my view, the most exciting and important philosophical movement of the past century and a half," says Professor Solomon. "Fifty years after the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre gave it its identity and 150 years after the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard gave it its initial impetus, it continues to win new enthusiasts and, in keeping with its still exciting and revolutionary message, vehement critics." Plumbing both sides of the debate, these lectures examine a wide range of Existentialist thought. You'll be exposed to the religious approach of Kierkegaard; the bold fiction of Camus; the warrior rhetoric and often-shocking claims about religion and morality posed by Nietzsche; the radical and uncompromising notion of freedom championed by Sartre; and the searching analysis of human historicity and finitude offered by Martin Heidegger. And you'll encounter the reluctance - often angrily expressed - of many of Existentialism's major figures to be thought of as part of any philosophical movement or even as intellectual allies!

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2000 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2000 The Great Courses
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What listeners say about No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life

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Teaching excellence!

Professor Robert Solomon knits diverse philosophical perspectives into an excellent and engrossing series of lectures.

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Very well organized and easy enough to understand

It’s a good starting point summary of the main ideas and works in existential philosophy.

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Well worth the time

Plays like a tight knit story with a compelling plot. Wished the characters were developed more fully, though the prof did a good job showing the connections among them. I recommend the course.

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the problem is with the edits in the audiobook

i absolutely cannot stand the annoying song and fake clapping that wrap around every chapter. It is so unnecessary. the perform was great and the content was good but the audio edit really ruined it for me

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Tedious

I expected this to be fascinating but it was almost the opposite. Not my cup of tea. I came away not even sure what Existentialism means. I struggled to finish.

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