Widely recognized as the finest definition of existentialist philosophy ever written, this book introduced existentialism to America in 1958. Barrett speaks eloquently and directly to concerns of the 1990s: a period when the irrational and the absurd are no better integrated than before and when humankind is in even greater danger of destroying its existence without ever understanding the meaning of its existence.
Irrational Man begins by discussing the roots of existentialism in the art and thinking of Augustine, Aquinas, Pascal, Baudelaire, Blake, Dostoevski, Tolstoy, Hemingway, Picasso, Joyce, and Beckett. The heart of the book explains the views of the foremost existentialists—Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre. The result is a marvelously lucid definition of existentialism and a brilliant interpretation of its impact.
Widely recognized as one of the finest introductions to existentialist philosophy ever written, Irrational Man helped introduce existentialism to an American audience when it was first published in 1958.
Barrett writes with eloquence and clarity about concerns that remain as relevant today as ever: the persistence of the irrational and absurd, the search for meaning in a fractured world, and humanity's capacity to shape or destroy its own future without fully understanding the meaning of its existence.
Irrational Man traces the roots of existentialism through the work of figures including Augustine, Aquinas, Pascal, Baudelaire, Blake, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Hemingway, Picasso, Joyce, and Beckett. At its core is a lucid exploration of the ideas of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre. The result is both an enduring introduction to existentialism and a compelling account of its influence on modern thought and culture.
