No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life

Good for even a non-existentialist

I don't like existentialism philosophy, but I liked this lecture series. It allowed me to understand other philosophers through the lens of Existentialism, and I got to understand Kant, Schopenhauer, and learn learn more about Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Heidegger. I liked the hour and a half he devoted to Heidegger so much, I ended up buying "Being and Time" from Amazon.

I would strongly recommend watching the BBC production of the play "Huis Clos" ("In Camera", or also called "No Exit") freely available on YouTube before or after listening to this lecture. I did and am glad for the understanding it brought. The heart of this lecture series is really Jean-Paul Sartre and a lot of what he thinks is within this highly watchable and freely available play.

Even if you think Existentialism is passe (a word the lecturer uses), and you don't particularly like Existentialism this lecture has more than enough to keep you entertained. As with almost all of these Great Course series, I don't know of anything else where I get as much value for my one credit, and because of this series I'm violating one of my rules and plan on reading a difficult book because this series has piqued my interest that much in Heidegger.

126 of 130 people found this review helpful

Broad, Thorough and Highly Engaging

The Great Courses captured a jewel of a lecture series with Professor Solomon's work. Solomon puts the focus on five European philosophers: Camus (French, 20th C.), Kierkegaard (Danish, 19th C.), Nietchze (German, 19th C.), Heidegger (German, 20th C.) and Sarte (French, 20th C.). Common threads of individualism, passion and freedom ties the work of all these philosophers together. Solomon's lectures are clear, in-depth, and fascinating.

This was the first title in my Audible collection (30+ titles) that I immediately listened to again once finished. The second listening I took notes, there was good information in nearly every minute of the recording. After finishing the course, I learned Dr. Solomon passed away in 2007 while vacationing with his wife (a fellow Philosophy professor) in Europe. I never knew him personally, but this recording seems to be a fitting tribute to a man who clearly cared about his philosophies and teachings. (The companion PDF authored by Solomon is excellent as well).

The remainder of the review will be scratch notes on the lectures. If you are interested in exploring beyond the Greeks in the realm of Philosophy, if you've ever felt frustrated with the "herd mentality" of society, or if you've ever wondered where the world of emotions/passions fit in our age of reason, this title doesn't disappoint.

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* Albert Camus: Emotions and thoughts do not depend upon each other, as illustrated in "The Stranger." Perhaps emotions precede reason, in contrast to the Greeks. Guilt exists just by our being human. Your perspective is more important than "the benign indifference of the universe." The Myth of Sisyphus: he becomes one with his rock, refusing to accept the absurdity of the situation. Reason begets absurdity. "You get the war you deserve" as illustrated in The Plague. Philosophical suicide is dismissing the absurd and prioritizing a future utopian life. The utopian future trivializes the life you are living right here right now. The Fall illustrates a character that thinks too much, challenging Socrates' notion that the unexamined life is not worth living. Is pride a blessing (the Greeks) or a curse (the Christians)? The character can't overcome his guilt of reflection. (Mother Teresa offered as contrast: "I focus only on the person that I am with.")

* Soren Kierkegaard: Fear and Trembling. Subjective truths; leaps of faith. Trying to prove God exists is pointless. Keep subjectivity and objectivity separate. "I want a truth that I can live and die for." His truth was Christianity. He abhorred those who thought Christianity was their birthright or function of hometown. Passionate commitment: seems like an oxymoron but for Kierkegaard it's the decision and action that follows a passion that are important. Hegel's historical vs. existential dialectic. His planes of existence: aesthetic, ethical and spiritual. Boredom (aesthetic) and burnout (ethical) leaves only the spiritual.

* Friedrich Nietzsche. The public's misperception of "God is Dead." Relative truths exist, but perhaps no absolute truth. An immoralist: ethics are a matter of self virtue, not Kant's rationalism, not an order of God. Judge yourself, not others--aligns with Aristotle. Virtue is beautiful. Master/slave morality. Slave morality has eclipsed master morality, for the worse. Wealth, education and strength are looked down upon. Slave morality sees those as evil and focuses on self-denial. Proto-characters. Perspectivism. Birds of prey will never be lambs. Talents may exist, but must be self-realized. "Become who you are." The Will--universal by Schopenhauer. Nietzsche doesn't believe in free will/the ability to pull away from all the world. "There is just action; consciousness is overrated." Our control is used to cultivate new automatic actions. "Give style to your character; it is a great art." Nietzsche's test for living properly: if you had to live your life over and over ad infinatum, would you? Ubermensch is free of resentment, but aspiring to uber is not realistic. Goethe's life was near ideal: creative, spiritual. Will to power is self-mastery, not control. Will to power/Self-esteem is feeling energized by your own ideas. Will to power is a passionate life, in contrast to the Greeks. Martyrs are more motivated by their own righteousness than by the infinite afterlife. Love is control. Pity is superiority. Attachments to ideals and aspirations are what life is all about. Schopenhauer says life is nothing, Nietzsche disagrees.

* Martin Heidegger. Believes that the conscious and the world are not separate entities. Lines between realism and idealism are blurred. "Dasein." Our first thoughts are not "who am I," but "here is the world I am in." To think about the hammer makes it no longer a hammer. Authenticity: taking a hold of yourself, not Das Mann self. A return to your historicity after authenticity to avoid alienation. We've been thrown into the world. We never live in the present. This understanding leads to dasein. Acorns are not dasein: they have potential, but not perspective. Conscious says we could be more authentic, which gives rise to guilt. "Being unto death:" a recognition that leads to resolutions. Nazi ties: very controversial.

* Jean-Paul Sarte. Writes for responsibility; turns down Nobel prize. Human nature is found under stress. Sarte says screw making up excuses for yourself for any predicament. We are free in that we always have choices to make, no matter the situation--he should know, he was a Nazi prisoner. How do citizens see the moutain they live by? Threats to freedom are often internal. Choices lead to emotions. You decide whether to forget or dwell. "We all get the war we deserve." Consciousness is freedom, spontaneous and nothingness: like a beam of light that dynamically molds what it sees. Emotions structure consciousness, not an escape behavior. Being for itself, in itself, for others. Self is an accumulation of external actions. Transcendence: overreaching facts and the present, wanting to be God. My birthday is not a fact (re: fake ids). "Bad faith"--a stiff waiter. Sarte attacks Freud for not taking responsibiliy. Being for others--the play 'no exit.' We only know ourselves through other people. We may appear bad in one instance, but we also are being for ourselves so don't have to be judged. Leads to moral education. Being for others cannot be ignored. Facticity, transcendence and being for others always in tension, in contrast with Aristotle's society. This guilt is secular original sin. Hell is other people: the play No Exit. Wife abuser, female socialite and working class lesbian. Death makes us pure facticity. Seeing someone else in our private desert.

99 of 104 people found this review helpful

Brilliant Life changing

Where does No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

For non-fiction it is one of the best I've listened to. Clear, interesting.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

It explains a complicated subject surrounded by much colloquial mystery simply. It also gives philosophical reasons why we really don't have excuses and why doing what we need to do just is...so get on with it!

What does Professor Robert C. Solomon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Intonation and some personal comments that give thoughtful support

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

A clear explanation of what this philosophy actual is and how it really applies to normal modern life

Any additional comments?

It changed my life and when I start over thinking things, wondering why something is, I listen to parts of it and feel much better about what choices I have and that I just need to get on with it. Being human isn't as complicated as we make out sometimes!

26 of 27 people found this review helpful

Loved it!

A nuanced and careful look at some pretty fiery characters. The professor has a nice cadence and clear speech (rare in philo profs!). I wanted more when he finished!!

21 of 22 people found this review helpful

Made want to read Camus!

But he lost me on Heidegger...
Seriously, great course! The professor conveys passion for the subject and yet the critique is balanced and understandable.

14 of 15 people found this review helpful

Great introduction to Existentialism

Pros of the lectures:
- intuitive examples
- connects each philosopher's work with another
- full of insights for present day

The most memorable part is about Sartre ideas about choice, particularly that we can choose our emotions at any given moment.

However I found the ideas of nothingness a bit complicated to grasp in the first listening. I confess I had to go back to a few chapters a couple of times. For which the Audible version is very convenient.

Overall I highly recommend these lectures!

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

One of the best of the courses series

Seems to me some subjects are better in audible form; philosophy certainly seems to be a subject that transfers well

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

Disappointing

When I chose this book, I hoped to discover the views of existentialist philosophers on the topic of the meaning of life, which is the book's title. Instead, I heard vague information delivered in random format. For example, the cited existentialists are consistently referred to using only their last names, and historical references are few, so that experts, events, and relationships are ambiguous. These deficiencies are exacerbated by the narrator's repetition of insignificant details, delivered through an apathetic narration.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Wonderful Survey of the Evolution of a Philosophy

This was an incredibly compelling audio course. I appreciated Prof. Solomon's inclusion not only of philosophical thinkers but also writers like Camus, Hesse, Dostoyevsky and Kafka. Their inclusion helps greatly to bring the elements of the philosophy out of dry generalities and into the real of human experience.

I highly recommend this course for anyone interested in existentialism, but also for a richer look at the works of writers mentioned above.

20 of 24 people found this review helpful

Want to understand existentialism?

If you really want to understand Existentialism, don't bother with this series.

After listening to and enjoying several other Great Courses series on philosophy (The Big Questions of Philosophy and Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy by David K. Johnson, and The Great Ideas of Philosophy by Daniel Robinson), I am profoundly disappointed with this one.

In these lectures, the professor came off as a grad student who hasn't prepared, cribbing his lectures out of someone else's textbook. What's even worse, is that his biases are painfully obvious and can be summed up in a single sentence, "If it's not Christian, it's not true."

That's a particularly egregious prejudice to have when the world's expecting you to give a credible introduction to Camus or Sarte, to say nothing of other luminaries in this school, who are essentially ignored.

If you're looking for thought-provoking material, Audible is *loaded* with better grist than this.

16 of 21 people found this review helpful