Publisher Description

Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness marked the beginning of the rise of French existentialism in the twentieth century. In this work Sartre offers a complex and profound defense of human freedom. The topics discussed by Sartre range from traditional problems of metaphysics and epistemology to the roots of human motivation and the nature of human relationships. It is a hugely important text in a long and distinguished tradition of philosophical reflection going back to Kant. Sartre's 'Being and Nothingness': A Reader's Guide is an invaluable companion to the study of this influential philosophical text.

Author Biography

Sebastian Gardner is Professor of Philosophy at University College London, where he lectures on Sartre. His previous publications include the Routledge Guidebook on Kant and the Critique of Pure Reason.

Table of Contents

1. Context2. Overview of themes3. Reading the text4. Reception and InfluenceBibliography & Notes for Further ReadingIndex

Review

"Sebastian Gardner's Reader's Guide to Sartre's Being and Nothingness is precisely what it claims to be: an informed, trustworthy, and well-written "guide" for the study of Sartre's difficult masterpiece. But it is also a sophisticated philosophical analysis of Sartre's intentions, successes, and failures ... This is a book that deserves a place of prominence in the library of every first-time reader of Being and Nothingness and of every scholar with a serious interest in Sartre's philosophy." - Professor Dan Breazeale. University of Kentucky, USA

Promotional

Sebastian Gardner competently tackles one of Sartre's more complex and challenging works in this new addition to the Reader's Guides series.

Long Description

Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness marked the beginning of the rise of French existentialism in the twentieth century. In this work Sartre offers a complex and profound defense of human freedom. The topics discussed by Sartre range from traditional problems of metaphysics and epistemology to the roots of human motivation and the nature of human relationships. It is a hugely important text in a long and distinguished tradition of philosophical reflection going back to Kant. Sartre's 'Being and Nothingness': A Reader's Guide is an invaluable companion to the study of this influential philosophical text. >

Review Quote

"Sebastian Gardner's Reader's Guide to Sartre's Being and Nothingness is precisely what it claims to be: an informed, trustworthy, and well-written "guide" for the study of Sartre's difficult masterpiece. But it is also a sophisticated philosophical analysis of Sartre's intentions, successes, and failures ... This is a book that deserves a place of prominence in the library of every first-time reader of Being and Nothingness and of every scholar with a serious interest in Sartre's philosophy." Professor Dan Breazeale. University of Kentucky, USA

Details