No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life

By: Robert C. Solomon, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Robert C. Solomon

Publisher's summary

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 Courses

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5 out of 5 stars

By Mohamed Sanad on 09-05-19

Solomon is really an amazing philosopher!

Robert Solomon is a great teacher and philosopher. I love his illustrations and all his books.

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5 out of 5 stars

By Rcalore on 08-26-17

Prof. Solomon is a great lecturer!!

What did you love best about No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life?

Prof. Solomon is very well versed with all 5 philosophers (Camus, Sartre, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche). Passionate, articulate, and very clear!! I'd recommend getting all 3 of his audibles :)

What other book might you compare No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life to and why?

Will-to-Power

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5 out of 5 stars

By sideshowcris on 01-08-19

Great lecture from a great teacher

I became familiar with Professor Solomon’s voice when I saw him in Waking Life. So when I saw there was a whole Great Courses lecture from him on Existentialism, it was a must grab. It didn’t disappoint at all. I’d had some familiarity with the movement from my university days at Texas State, but it was great to get primed again now that I’ve got all this adulting under my belt and can better appreciate the sturm und drang of existence. I think now I’m going to dive much much much deeper into the primary sources.

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