No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life

By: Robert C. Solomon, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Robert C. Solomon

Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins

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

Broad, Thorough and Highly Engaging

The Great Courses captured a jewel of a lecture series with Professor Solomon's work. Solomon puts the focus on five European philosophers: Camus (French, 20th C.), Kierkegaard (Danish, 19th C.), Nietchze (German, 19th C.), Heidegger (German, 20th C.) and Sarte (French, 20th C.). Common threads of individualism, passion and freedom ties the work of all these philosophers together. Solomon's lectures are clear, in-depth, and fascinating.

This was the first title in my Audible collection (30+ titles) that I immediately listened to again once finished. The second listening I took notes, there was good information in nearly every minute of the recording. After finishing the course, I learned Dr. Solomon passed away in 2007 while vacationing with his wife (a fellow Philosophy professor) in Europe. I never knew him personally, but this recording seems to be a fitting tribute to a man who clearly cared about his philosophies and teachings. (The companion PDF authored by Solomon is excellent as well).

The remainder of the review will be scratch notes on the lectures. If you are interested in exploring beyond the Greeks in the realm of Philosophy, if you've ever felt frustrated with the "herd mentality" of society, or if you've ever wondered where the world of emotions/passions fit in our age of reason, this title doesn't disappoint.

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* Albert Camus: Emotions and thoughts do not depend upon each other, as illustrated in "The Stranger." Perhaps emotions precede reason, in contrast to the Greeks. Guilt exists just by our being human. Your perspective is more important than "the benign indifference of the universe." The Myth of Sisyphus: he becomes one with his rock, refusing to accept the absurdity of the situation. Reason begets absurdity. "You get the war you deserve" as illustrated in The Plague. Philosophical suicide is dismissing the absurd and prioritizing a future utopian life. The utopian future trivializes the life you are living right here right now. The Fall illustrates a character that thinks too much, challenging Socrates' notion that the unexamined life is not worth living. Is pride a blessing (the Greeks) or a curse (the Christians)? The character can't overcome his guilt of reflection. (Mother Teresa offered as contrast: "I focus only on the person that I am with.")

* Soren Kierkegaard: Fear and Trembling. Subjective truths; leaps of faith. Trying to prove God exists is pointless. Keep subjectivity and objectivity separate. "I want a truth that I can live and die for." His truth was Christianity. He abhorred those who thought Christianity was their birthright or function of hometown. Passionate commitment: seems like an oxymoron but for Kierkegaard it's the decision and action that follows a passion that are important. Hegel's historical vs. existential dialectic. His planes of existence: aesthetic, ethical and spiritual. Boredom (aesthetic) and burnout (ethical) leaves only the spiritual.

* Friedrich Nietzsche. The public's misperception of "God is Dead." Relative truths exist, but perhaps no absolute truth. An immoralist: ethics are a matter of self virtue, not Kant's rationalism, not an order of God. Judge yourself, not others--aligns with Aristotle. Virtue is beautiful. Master/slave morality. Slave morality has eclipsed master morality, for the worse. Wealth, education and strength are looked down upon. Slave morality sees those as evil and focuses on self-denial. Proto-characters. Perspectivism. Birds of prey will never be lambs. Talents may exist, but must be self-realized. "Become who you are." The Will--universal by Schopenhauer. Nietzsche doesn't believe in free will/the ability to pull away from all the world. "There is just action; consciousness is overrated." Our control is used to cultivate new automatic actions. "Give style to your character; it is a great art." Nietzsche's test for living properly: if you had to live your life over and over ad infinatum, would you? Ubermensch is free of resentment, but aspiring to uber is not realistic. Goethe's life was near ideal: creative, spiritual. Will to power is self-mastery, not control. Will to power/Self-esteem is feeling energized by your own ideas. Will to power is a passionate life, in contrast to the Greeks. Martyrs are more motivated by their own righteousness than by the infinite afterlife. Love is control. Pity is superiority. Attachments to ideals and aspirations are what life is all about. Schopenhauer says life is nothing, Nietzsche disagrees.

* Martin Heidegger. Believes that the conscious and the world are not separate entities. Lines between realism and idealism are blurred. "Dasein." Our first thoughts are not "who am I," but "here is the world I am in." To think about the hammer makes it no longer a hammer. Authenticity: taking a hold of yourself, not Das Mann self. A return to your historicity after authenticity to avoid alienation. We've been thrown into the world. We never live in the present. This understanding leads to dasein. Acorns are not dasein: they have potential, but not perspective. Conscious says we could be more authentic, which gives rise to guilt. "Being unto death:" a recognition that leads to resolutions. Nazi ties: very controversial.

* Jean-Paul Sarte. Writes for responsibility; turns down Nobel prize. Human nature is found under stress. Sarte says screw making up excuses for yourself for any predicament. We are free in that we always have choices to make, no matter the situation--he should know, he was a Nazi prisoner. How do citizens see the moutain they live by? Threats to freedom are often internal. Choices lead to emotions. You decide whether to forget or dwell. "We all get the war we deserve." Consciousness is freedom, spontaneous and nothingness: like a beam of light that dynamically molds what it sees. Emotions structure consciousness, not an escape behavior. Being for itself, in itself, for others. Self is an accumulation of external actions. Transcendence: overreaching facts and the present, wanting to be God. My birthday is not a fact (re: fake ids). "Bad faith"--a stiff waiter. Sarte attacks Freud for not taking responsibiliy. Being for others--the play 'no exit.' We only know ourselves through other people. We may appear bad in one instance, but we also are being for ourselves so don't have to be judged. Leads to moral education. Being for others cannot be ignored. Facticity, transcendence and being for others always in tension, in contrast with Aristotle's society. This guilt is secular original sin. Hell is other people: the play No Exit. Wife abuser, female socialite and working class lesbian. Death makes us pure facticity. Seeing someone else in our private desert.

Intriguing

I love the riviting topics and having my own personal discussion with my friends. I'm seeking out other topics.

A Great Introduction

This is a great introduction into the ideas of existentialism. Professor Solomon guides us through a variety of sources, spanning many literary genres over a century of thought. The ideas of Camus, Dostoyevsky, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Neitzche, and Sartre are the focus, with a lecture on the future of existentialism to wrap the series up neatly.

set me on track

loved it, makes sense of what to be doing. a review must consist of 15 words

It was a solid lecture series

I think this Great Courses series was good but not great. The professor was better at the information side than the performance side. I am a teacher myself and speak and lecture all the time, but I don’t think I’m skilled enough to be a great Audible narrator. I think the information is covered well and at the right depth, and the topics covered are very similar to the existentialist philosophy class I took at Indiana University.

very very interesting

I don't really have 15 words to say for my review I just don't like to

Engaging rendering and explanation

I am a sucker for philosophy and have several books in my library. I was looking for audio books comparing and contrasting different philosophical viewpoints even though I was skeptical of finding something that is not cliched. This audiobook exceeded my expectations. I wish other books would emulate the way this course presents the ideas in an engaging and highly practical manner.

Loved it!

A nuanced and careful look at some pretty fiery characters. The professor has a nice cadence and clear speech (rare in philo profs!). I wanted more when he finished!!

Life Changing

This book made me feel passionate about my sense of individual responsibility in the world and how I should strive to live an authentic life with solicitous regard for others.

Interesting wrap up of existentialism

Talking about the philosophies, some books.. interesting to hear. Professor Salomon is great, woulda be the same without him.