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Existentialism and Human Emotions

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 2,233 ratings · 89 reviews

The chief effort of this work is to face the implications for personal action of a universe without purpose. That man is personally responsible for what he is and what he does; that there are no values external to man and no given human nature which he is obliged to fulfill; that man chooses his values and makes himself, and may therefore choose to be a different person -...more

Paperback, Philosophical Library, 96 pages

Published December 1st 2000 by Citadel (first published 1957)

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Jan 16, 2010 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

hey dudez, sorry i haven't talked about books w/ you in forever? but anyway, this book is hella easy to understand, & my brain needs that, & i'm digging it; easy to crawl into, easy to read other texts through (& in fact largely impossible not to).

besides sartre & spar (thanks fs!) & proust (true story, my grandparents apparently didn't know what to get me for xmas so israel called my family & said someone should get me the in search of lost time BOX SET... my grandparent...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Aurochz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: psychology, philosophy, existentialism-phenomenology

A good introduction to Sartre's philosophy, not so much for his views on emotions or existentialism in general. Instead it answers a lot of simple questions and attacks against his ideas, which start off straightforward, but despite himself become increasingly abstract. This essay is a little jumbled and mislabeled he doesn't talk about emotions in this nearly as much as he does in other works and essays and he focuses on displaying his philosophy as a whole and his attempts at psychoanalytic ap...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Keith Michael rated it 2 of 5 stars

i used to think this guy was so smart. i deified him, to be honest. but this book was just a few interesting thoughts in a sea of bland and desperate navel-gazing. the self-importance of this entire project is staggering. according to Sartre, "Existentialism and Human Emotions" exists because a few people (Christians, Marxists and the common people?) have misinterpreted his philosophy, and so he writes to tell them why they're wrong? who gives a shit? the first portion of the book is written in...more

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Jan 10, 2012 William Strasse rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The short verdict: like panning for gold. I finally made myself read this front to back (I'd previously skipped around it a couple times.) Sartre is tiresome for several reasons to me. It is mostly that he just takes himself so seriously that you have to laugh at times, especially when he starts using terms like the being-in-itself-for-itself-of-itself. At one point, I thought "Jean-Paul, if you say 'a priori' one more time..." Of course, he used it about 100 more times after that. When I got to...more

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May 24, 2007 علی rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy

این اثر سارتر با نام های مختلف و مترجمان مختلف به فارسی برگردانده شده که از همه بهتر به گمان من "اگزیستانسیالیزم و اصالت بشر" به ترجمه ی مصطفی رحیمی ست که در 1344 توسط انتشارات مروارید چاپ و منتشر شده است.

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Apr 24, 2013 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

The subject of existentialism can be daunting, and the vague information and interpretations that are prevalent may influence one's decision toward avoiding it altogether. For anyone who has even the slightest curiosity, or for anyone who has some knowledge on this subject but feels there are gaps left to be filled regarding even a general understanding, Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism and Human Emotions offers a clear, concise definition of the word itself, but a detailed explanation of the i...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Jack Lindgren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy-theory, french, 20th-century

Although I don't entirely agree with his philosophy the main section of this book (which is, I believe, the text of a speech he gave) illustrated Sartre's though in an easily digestible way. The later sections, which are excerpts from the massive Being and Nothingness are almost totally incomprehensible (probably in part because they're taken out of context, but probably also because they're from a massive philosophical tome instead of a speech). Um, but yes, I'm not really qualified to judge th...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Michael Roop rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy

This one is a goodin. Jean-Paul Sartre is one of the greatest free thinkers in modern history. I didn't care much for philosophy until I became curious about it from watching the Big Lebowski. When he said it must be hard being a nihilist, i wondered what that was. Unsure I hit up the book store looking for answers. Though I didn't find dude related help I did find this. Sartre was top of the list at the book store.
This book is a quick enthralling read. For like minded individuals this book wil...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Eric Gold rated it 2 of 5 stars

An excellent primer by the father of Existentialist philosophy. Sartre's concept is at the same time simple and radical: man is fully responsible for what happens in the world. No excuses. No cover. No "out." If it happens: we make it happen. On the one hand, it's extraordinarily empowering. We are moral artisans, painting actions on the world's canvas. Yet the existentialist is overwhelmed by anguish (that everything I do essentially sets a standard, since none exist apriori) and despair (that...more

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May 25, 2013 Scott Venhuizen rated it 3 of 5 stars

In "Existentialism and Human Emotions" Sartre defies the notion that existentialists are always depressed (I'm guessing he didn't choose the cover...)

He addresses this within the first 30 pages (of 90); his main argument being that while critics of existentialism consider it depressing because it strips life of all meaning, it is actually hopeful because it gives mankind the opportunity to form its own.

While I enjoyed the first 30 pages, I found the remaining two-thirds tedious. By resolving th...more

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Feb 13, 2009 Chris Comis rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy

Don't remember much about it. It's that good! Sartre had some interesting insights into the nature of human emotion, given his atheistic existentialism. Interesting in the sense that it makes me that much more thankful that I'm not an atheist, nor an unbelieving existentialist.

It's also quite humorous seeing Sartre try and account for human emotion given his presuppositions. He sees where his existentialist horses are taking him; but he doesn't like heading towards the cliff at break-neck speed,...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Philosophy Nutjobs like Me :)

Recommended to Kristen by: Rob Clow

This is another of my Master's degree books. I'd imagine it would only be enjoyable to a fairly limited demographic. And it gets boring, as these tend to, at about the halfway point.

4/2011: Notes/Reflections

Sartre, Existentialism and Human Emotions

I could quote pages out of this book. I’m just constantly like yes - YES!

I love the description of desperate quietism. I couldn’t agree more, as that is often how I feel. I absolutely see myself as an isolated being the majority of the time. And that’...more

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Jul 02, 2010 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars

I can't write a long review on this one, because I just don't feel up to it. I'm not a philosopher but, that being said, Sartre (and the translator) certainly made existentialism, to an extent, accessible to me as someone rather unfamiliar with the concepts. I appreciated a lot of what Sartre says about creating one's self and always being one's self "in production," as it were. "The Hole," however, was pretty absurd. That man lives to fill himself (and that man seeks out woman because she is, e...more

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Apr 24, 2009 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: criticism, philosophy, politics, science-nature

If Sartre wanted to endear himself to the masses, he did himself no favors with the cover to Existentialism and Human Emotions, with his pipe-puffing professoriality conveying enough know-it-allness to give most anyone not assigned to read it a hearty guffaw. Which is a shame really, as this 96-page essay serves as an excellent primer for anyone who thinks of existentialism as a ponderous, do-nothing philosophy (If all I am to do is exist, why do anything else?), defining the terms, fielding com...more If Sartre wanted to endear himself to the masses, he did himself no favors with the cover to Existentialism and Human Emotions, with his pipe-puffing professoriality conveying enough know-it-allness to give most anyone not assigned to read it a hearty guffaw. Which is a shame really, as this 96-page essay serves as an excellent primer for anyone who thinks of existentialism as a ponderous, do-nothing philosophy (If all I am to do is exist, why do anything else?), defining the terms, fielding common accusations from other religious and philosophical camps, and connecting existential philosophy to other critical traditions.

That said, the title is a bit misleading, or incomplete at least – it really just introduces and retorts the accusations Sartre wrote the essay in reaction to. It does this brilliantly though, especially on pp18-33 where he fairly systematically explains the philosophical reasoning behind the 3 quintessentially existential emotions of anguish, forlornness, and despair. Outside of this and a section from page 41-51 where he addresses 3 major emotional objections to existential philosophy, he is speaking on a more general plane – I almost think that it would be published today under the title Existentialism for Dummies.

What I found most engaging in the text (mostly the section simply entitled “Existentialism” that takes up the first 51 pages) was his connection of the notion of subjectivity in religious, philosophical, and practical discourse, summed up in this passage from pp22-23: “If existence really does precedes essence, there is no explaining things away by reference to a fixed and given human nature. In other words, there is no determinism, man is free, man is freedom. On the other hand, if God does not exist, we find no values or commands to turn to which legitimize our conduct. So, in the bright realm of values, we have no excuse behind us, nor justification before us. We are alone, with no excuses.”

In context of a modern world of jihad, know-nothing consumerism, religious fundamentalism, and a creeping sense of dislocation in both the family and the workplace, Sartre’s words are scathingly prophetic, as each of these elements of the modern world has one thing in common: each subjective way of looking at the world is equally right – or equally wrong – and we are without recourse when things don’t go as we hoped (“To be sure, this may seem a harsh thought to someone whose life hasn’t been a success”).

But the wondrous thing about the text is that, despite the focus on words like anguish and despair, Sartre ends up coming off as fairly optimistic. This achieved at least partially by his following the notion of subjectivity with the notion of intersubjectivity – “this is the world in which man decides what he is and what others are.” I would describe this as almost a fusion of the classically opposite Civil Society and State of Nature – every person is dependent on other people insomuch as those people influence our own “projects,” as Sartre calls them; in other words, when they impose their wills enough that their world, their projects become part of ours.

He follows this up in the short section entitled “The Hole,” stating, “A good part of our life [and it may simply be the translator’s choice, but I found it encouraging that he said “life,” not “lives”:] is passed in plugging up holes, in filling empty spaces, in realizing and symbolically establishing a plenitude.” He actually hilariously (though not intentionally so) applies this to sexual intercourse and eating in two of the more entertaining passages, with the mouth and the you-know-what being the holes literally and symbolically filled.
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Oct 09, 2008 Christian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Like a lot of pretentious high schoolers, I picked up a copy of Being and Nothingness, enchanted by the title, and barely understood a word. Since then, I've read a lot of philosophy books, and with the exception of some Eastern pieces (well, mostly takes on Eastern pieces), concluded that philosophy is generally a bunch of crap. I want to like it, I really do, but so much of it seems like nonsense to me. I've tried hard, reading original works as well as great summaries of original works (like...more Like a lot of pretentious high schoolers, I picked up a copy of Being and Nothingness, enchanted by the title, and barely understood a word. Since then, I've read a lot of philosophy books, and with the exception of some Eastern pieces (well, mostly takes on Eastern pieces), concluded that philosophy is generally a bunch of crap. I want to like it, I really do, but so much of it seems like nonsense to me. I've tried hard, reading original works as well as great summaries of original works (like Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy).

I picked up a copy of this book at the big Friends of the Library sale out at Fort Mason. This, after I had sworn off of philosophy. Why, I'm not sure; perhaps because it was only $2; perhaps because it was only 100 pages.

I got home from the book sale and started flipping through my books. This one immediately absorbed me. The ideas in the book aren't new (obviously) or even that different from what I'm sure you heard before. But they were stated in such a clear and dramatic way that I really thought I had a life-changing book here.

This book was an attempt to respond to some criticisms of existentialism, and as such, it presents the basic ideas in a particularly lucid way. Take, for example, this:

"Indeed, everything is permissible if God does not exist, and as a result man is forlorn, because neither within him nor without does he find anything to cling to. He can't start making excuses for himself. If existence really does precede essence, there is no explaining things away by reference to a fixed and given human nature. In other words, there is no determinism, man is free, man is freedom. On the other hand, if God does not exist, we find no values or commands to turn to which legitimize our conduct. So, in the bright realm of values, we have no excuse, nor justification before us. We are alone, with no excuses." Wow! Or take this: "...but when the existentialist writes about a coward, he says that this coward is responsible for his cowardice. He's not like that because he has a cowardly heart or lung or brain; he's not like that on account of his physiological make-up; but he's like that because he has made himself a coward by his acts. There's no such thing as a cowardly constitution; there are nervous constitutions; there is poor blood, as the common people say, or strong constitutions. But the man whose blood s poor is not coward on that account, for what makes cowardice is the act of renunciation or yielding. A constitution is not an act; the coward is defined on the basis of the acts he performs. People feel, in a vague sort of way, that this coward we're talking about is guilty of being a coward, and the thought frightens them. What people would like is that a coward or hero is born this way...What the existentialist says is that the coward makes himself cowardly, that the hero makes himself heroic. There's always the possibility for the coward not to be cowardly any more and for the hero to stop being heroic."

Sure, this is standard Western dispositionalism, but how can you not buy that? In essence, I see the arguments like this. We can't choose our circumstances, and we can't control the likelihood of success of our actions. But we can choose how to act. We define ourselves through our actions. "Going along" is a choice as much as any; we can always choose to opt out (even if that means killing ourselves). In any given situation, all we can control is what we do, but what we do defines us. Powerful stuff. For the first 50 pages, I was riveted.

Later on, we get things like this: "It is this which decides the attitude of the person when confronted with logic and principles; therefore there can be no possibility of questioning in conformance to logic. It brings together in a prelogical synthesis the totality of the existent, and as such it is the center of reference for an infinity of polyvalent meanings." And this: "It is then guided from the start toward a comprehension of being and must not assign itself any other goal than to discover being and the mode of being of the being confronting this being." And this: "In itself the hole is the symbol of a mode of being which existential psychoanalysis must elucidate...The obscenity of the feminine sex is that of everything which 'gapes open.' It is an appeal to being as all holes are. In herself woman appeals to a strange flesh which is to transform her fullness of being by penetration and dissolution. Conversely woman senses her condition as an appeal precisely because she is 'in the form of a hole'". OK, perhaps I'm a little too dim to get the first two, but I'm pretty sure that the last one is ridiculous. This is the old philosophy that I know well.

After the first 50 pages, I was thinking that this book was a fiver. The notion that we are individually responsible for everything is clearly overstated, and I may have even bent the intent of the author to suggest too much that we are not responsible for our circumstances. We are certainly the product of our environment, of our genetic background, and of all sorts of other things outside of our control. However, I find the idea that, despite all of this, as willful agents, the only relevant variables are the ones under our control. We can determine how we react to our situations, and we can determine how we act. No moral system is sufficiently detailed to give us guidance in any particular situation, and so we must act alone, guided by the idea that we are creating ourselves, and perhaps much more than ourselves, through our actions. And this responsibility is a huge burden! I like that. I just wish this book had left all of the psychoanalysis behind. I'm off of philosophy again.(less)

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Feb 13, 2012 Harry rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first half was a slightly different translation of the same material that was in 'Existentialism is a Humanism', but nevertheless nothing that much more insightful.

The second half is interesting, but probably a little too speculative for me to accept it (the chapter 'The Hole' is ridiculously so).

I would buy this book instead of Existentialism is a Humanism, although I don't mind having bought both. They're fairly short books, so they're attractive to people new to existentialism.

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Jun 17, 2013 Rachael MacLean rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The main essay simply entitled Existentialism made a lot more sense to me than the rest of the book. This is partially because it was written more comprehensively and partly because I stopped agreeing with anything Sartre said about 3/4 of the way into that first essay. I can't say I'm too big a fan, but it's certainly an interesting viewpoint-- I would definitely recommend the first essay to anyone looking to understand what existentialism is.

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Dec 14, 2012 Usman added it

This is a compelling argument about the purpose and heart of existentialism. The main idea is that people are free but also responsible for exercising their freedom. The book brings in several psychological states such as anguish and anxiety and argues that these are often suppressed by people who walk about doing various things in everyday situations. A very good introduction that sits at the centre of existentialism.

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Jan 17, 2011 Vildan Arıcan rated it 5 of 5 stars

We wanna fill the holes around from our chidhood to our death...like putting your little finger at a hole in the wall then even eating is a kind of filling ur mouth (another hole), I dont wanna mention sexual prat but that theory kills me...:)) we can be all good and we can change our nature, fi,rst existence then the essence he believes...What is more is that I also believe in God:)

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May 20, 2012 Ben rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was the first Sartre work that I ever read and it, unfortunately, deterred me from reading any more Sartre for some time. It is very philosophically deep and is not a good introduction to Sartre. It is better to read perhaps after reading some of his other works. Perhaps if I were to do so I would have a higher opinion of this particular work. Maybe it is time for a second reading.

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Dec 28, 2008 Jon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not one of Sartre's better works I've read. Covers many of his major philosophical themes superficially, and dabbles quickly in issues of existentialist psychology. However, Sartre's philosophy requires much deeper works (Nausea, Being and Nothingness) to actually begin to be comprehensible.

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May 27, 2007 Rob rated it 5 of 5 stars

For someone who wants a readable introduction to Existentialism, this is the book to read. Sartre wrote it as a response to the criticism he had received after "Being and Nothingness," his treatise. In "Human Emotions," he lays out all the straw men and red herrings that had arrived in the attack on Existentialism, and he soundly defeats them with a tightly written essay. Existentialism is not a reason to give up on life; it is a way to find meaning in an otherwise meaningless world. It is not a...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was told by a self-proclaimed existentialist that this is an essential read for an introduction to existentialism, so that coupled with the concise style of writing (compared to many other existentialist essays) made it an attractive option to obtain a basic knowledge of the philosophy.

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Jun 02, 2010 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy

This primer on Existentialism is the best short introduction to the concepts in Sarte's own words, as opposed to modern works by others about him and his philosophies. It was helpful in my youth at coalescing vague, disparate notions in my head and has been a touchstone at other times.

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Jul 06, 2012 Isaac Barton rated it 3 of 5 stars

I haven't read any other Sartre to compare, but this seems like a good intro to Sartre's thinking. However, since it is only 96 pages, it leaves a lot to be fleshed out. I really want to read 'Being and Nothingness' now.

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Feb 12, 2009 Jon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book, just wonderful. Straightforward and entertaining, the book offers great insight on Existentialism. I loved it. And just to make it known, the best chapter is the first, by far.

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Jan 13, 2010 Chris Witt rated it 2 of 5 stars

If you want a nice and easy understanding of what Existentialism is (and isn't), I'd definitely recommend reading the "Introduction" essay in this book. The other half of the book? Beyond me.

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Apr 14, 2012 Froggy rated it 5 of 5 stars

As an atheist, this is my bible. I read it often. It presents me with ideals that are virtually impossible to live up to but that are nonetheless worth striving for.

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Nov 03, 2012 Kurt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Strongly disagree with Sartre's dictum: "existence precedes essence". And his essay "The Hole" has ruined me for the erotic and birthday parties--- I'll never look at a woman or pink cake in the same light again.:)

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Mar 06, 2012 joycesu rated it 3 of 5 stars

Relished parts of this, crawled through the denser existential psychoanalytic parts, but all in all a good start to studying atheistic existentialism.

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About Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre, normally known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre, was a French existentialist philosopher and pioneer, dramatist and screenwriter, novelist and critic. He was a leading figure in 20th century French philosophy.

He declined the award of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his work which, rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom and the quest for truth, has ex...more

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