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Existentialism: For Beginners

Author: David Cogswell
Publisher: Steerforth Press
$14.95 paper (175 p)
ISBN: 9781934389218
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Reviewed by Julie Marston, Customer Service

Existentialism for Beginners is typical of the ''For Beginners'' series. It features a brief overview of the basic tenets and important figures of the Existentialist movement in humorous style complete with comic-book style graphics.

The book begins by defining the basic terms of existentialism as well as the origins and questions of the philosophy. It then examines many of the major figures of the movement including Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard. The author discusses the crucial aspects of their lives, their influences and the basic thesis of their work with judicial use of quotes.

The book also covers many existentialists from the 20th century including Germans Jaspers and Dilthey, and then moves on to the philosophers of postwar France such as Camus, Sartre and Merleau-Ponty. The book is rounded out by a discussion of the influence of existentialism on film, music, art and politics.

This book offers a basic introduction for people unfamiliar with existentialism, showing the history of the movement and the rudiments of the philosophy.