6 Books about Existentialism

Introduction

So, are you starting to get interested about existentialism, maybe by some film or a novel, or maybe an essays of some kind? Well, this world may be daunting at first, sometimes too complex for someone who isn’t familiar with the terminology of the philosophical world, but there are some books that everyone that call himself an existentialist or that is simply interested about this type of philosophy, should read.

1 – Being and nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre

Definitely a complex book to read, difficult to access for those who are not already familiar with the philosophical field and with philosophical terminology. Before lightly I recommend reading Heidegger’s Being and Time, learn about the foundations of Descartes’ theory and the general developments from modern philosophy to Husserl and Heidegger, both central to the development of Sartre’s theory. The book is a masterpiece of existentialism, the search for freedom in the idea of ​​nothing, based on the individual as existence before essence. Certainly Sartre has a much more Cartesian imprint than the developments of Husserlian phenomenology. If you are ready to read more than 700 pages full of phenomenology, theory of mind, relationship with others, psychology and more then this is a book that could be for you.

2 – The myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus

Book known and appreciated by many, although often discredited by contemporary philosophy for its lack of systems and a stringent theory. The book is easy to access, with prose worthy of the writer who was Camus. In his most famous essay Camus, he deals with the idea of ​​the Absurd, life is absurd, it does not allow itself to be enclosed in a real definition, there is a lack of a reason and even the very search for it becomes absurd at the time. same. The metaphor of Sisyphus who rises and falls continuously exhausted, with the addition of the smile on his face, is the sign of the man who has embraced the Absurd.

3 – Being and Time by Martin Heidegger

Text considered by many as the founder of existentialism, even if many consider Kierkegaard as the first existentialist for his ideas on choice and on the individual who is necessary for change, a theory taken up by Aristotle, therefore similar to Sartre’s idea of ​​existence before the essence. The book is very complex to read, very systematic in its writing, which is found in many German philosophers, except perhaps the Romantics. Many terms are made up of multiple words, being-in-the-world being the most famous example. In addition to this, the book, which has more than 500 pages, is worthy of its fame. His ideas on precomprehension, on comprehension and explanation, the concept of throwness, expression and language, on techne, on anguish as fear in the face of the nothing, and the search for a theory on time, all based on a phenomenology that differs slightly from that of his teacher Husserl.

4 – Thus spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche

A complex book, full of metaphors and rhetorical figures, with a great symbolism, almost like the Biblical books, in his most famous book Nietzsche addresses the themes of the eternal return, of the superman, of the will to power, of choice, of death of God and more. Nietzsche’s existentialism may not be as developed as that of Sartre, Camus or Heidegger, but it laid the foundations for some of Camus’s theories. The reading is complex and could often be misinterpreted, but if you are willing to try to understand two lines of text that apparently only seem to be thrown there then it could be a good read.

5 – Either Or by Søren Kierkegaard

Considered the founder of existentialism and endowed with a great depth towards the human condition, Kierkegaard in his most famous book analyses the choice between aesthetic life and ethical life, two of the three types of life, together with religious life. In the middle of the pages we can find the theory of the individual as a necessary entity for the change that takes up from Aristotle’s Metaphysics, we find choice as the foundation of the person, chosen to be considered free, and not obliged. The anguish that derives from that choice and also the analysis of the two lives immediately reveals the work of understanding man that Kierkegaard has done. The writing is very fluent, devoid of too much theory and systems, even if it tends to be dispersive at times due to its non-systematic nature. The book has about 200 pages, and as a starting point it’s not bad at all.

6 – Existentialism is a humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre

Perhaps one of the first books you should read before entering the world of existentialism. Taken from a lecture given by Sartre, the book is very fluent, devoid of stringent theories, but still retains a good systematic way of thinking. The theory of morality founded on man in the face of the lack of God (a theme that is also found in Nietzsche), the critique of solipsism, the undisputed freedom of the individual, and also an analysis of modern society read between the lines of the various pages . Precisely in this book we find the famous phrase that symbolises existentialism: “existence precedes essence”. The book has about 100 pages, but to grasp the fundamental points and main ideas, without having to go too deeply into existentialist ontology and metaphysics, this book is perfect to start.

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