THE EXISTENTALISTS

A carefully thought out, straightforward analysis of existentialism, the most discussed and controversial of the philosophies of the 20th century. It should be of value to all who are interested in modern philosophy. Existentialism is most often connected by lay readers with the name of one of its chief exponents, Jean-Paul Sartre, who has himself said that ""the present literary furor over existentialism is a repetition of the cult of dadaism, which sprang up after World War I"". Actually, Sartre's literary output is a sort of side-issue, a bridge between his thinking as tried and respected academic philosopher and his need to communicate with the public. Collins, an Associate Professor at St. Louis University, places Sartre in perspective for the reader. He also brings up for consideration the current thinking of such existentialists as Marcel and Jaspers, and goes back to the roots of existentialism in such 19th century philosophers as Husserl, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche... A sound evaluation- for a circumscribed audience.