No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life
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No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life
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Narrated by:
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Robert C. Solomon
About this listen
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 CoursesListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Joshua
- 10-10-17
Incredible
These lectures covered the philosophy very well and the professor was quite well spoken. I look forward to listening to it again.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Andrew Karanja
- 01-09-18
I’ll have a second go at it!
The course is clear and concise even for the more problematic and complex theses.
And What an authentic and powerful delivery by Robert Solomon!
Loved it!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- T J james
- 30-12-15
So good I listened to it twice.
A very engaging speaker with a gentle but lyrical style. Comprehensive and thought provoking but designed to be accessible.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- David Kinsella
- 03-03-16
Excellent overview
Highley recommended. This is a subject I'm interested in. However, sometimes even the most interesting topic can presented poorly, but the presentation and the speaker was really top class. Money well spent.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kanishka Sinha
- 21-08-15
No excuses
I loved this course.
It felt like I had actually read the source data, so lucid were the descriptions.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nicolas
- 20-04-17
Like being in an intro lecture to philosophy
Overall i like this course. The professor introduces the great philosophers of existentialism in a straight forward way. What i especially like is that the listener needs no pre knowledge on the topic and that the lecturer does not dive into academic details. The lecture is intended to provide an overview for everyone. Yet Robert does discuss each stream very detailed as he highlights the context in which each philosopher came up with his main argument. For instance he explain inngreater detail the horistical context of colonial France when he discusses camus l etranger. Some points for suggestion: at times the discussion of the meaning of each philophers argument feels lengthy. It would be great if the professor could summarise the main points of each argument as otherwise the listener may simply loose oversight of the philosophy. In addition i would have enjoyed hearing more about the connection to other streans of philosophy. Not on a mirco level where related streams are discussed but in macro level so the reader understand how the ideas fit into the entire image of philosophy. Finally, which may be difficult, i would like to hear about how the ideas translate into daily practice of today. This would help the listener to understand the relevance of the philosophers main points on existentialism
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17 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Miss Clare Bakhtiar
- 13-03-16
Excellent - informative and interesting.
I recommend this as an accessible introduction to existentialism. The lectures are a good length and Prof. Solomon explains the subject with clarity, charisma and contemporary relevance . I feel confident now in engaging in deeper study.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Banjo0615
- 03-06-16
Enjoyable and interesting
I learned much about an area of philosophy and its critics, than I previously knew. That's why I purchased this audio lecture and it did what it said on the can.
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3 people found this helpful
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- jschwok
- 05-01-20
Heavy content but easy to listen.
Enjoyed this book. Pretty deep, but very engaging. The narrator was excellent. Well worth a listen.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dean
- 25-12-20
Excellent
One of the best things I've ever "read". Really good series of lectures outlining the main existentialist philosophers.
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