[Counts for Religious Studies]. The existential movement in 19th and early 20th century thought developed out of several earlier sources, from romanticism and the 'disenchantment' of the universe to religious pietism, German idealism, and the start of phenomenology. In all these developments, we find renewed emphasis on freedom, autonomy, and the importance of defining a 'self' or practical identity by our own efforts. In this course, we will examine and discuss a few key texts by major authors in this movement, such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre. We'll consider four principal themes that emerge in their works: (1) aestheticism vs. authenticity; (3) nihilism and the search for significance in human life; (3) freedom and the question of whether there is any natural telos or defining goal in human nature; and finally (4) the status of religious faith in a post-modern world and our individual relation to death. In exploring these themes, we will consider in what sense persons are constituted by social relations and by self-relations, and whether either is more basic.

Distribution requirements within the Philosophy major:
This course counts in the Modern historical period.

Soren Kierkegaard