Jean-Paul Sartre:

The Giants of Philosophy

by John Compton, Charlton Heston (Narrator)

Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, is perhaps the best known advocate of existentialism. In this view, no external authority gives life mankind is radically free and responsible. In every moment we choose ourselves, with no assurance that we have a continuing identity or power. We set up determinisms to ease our minds, but in the face of the finality of death, only through our present consciousness do we establish our own authentic existence. Sartre's existentialism faces the evil in human existence and sees that humans are responsible for it. The Giants of Philosophy is a series of dramatic presentations, in understandable language, of the concerns, questions, interests, and overall world view of history's greatest philosophers. Special emphasis on clear and relevant explanations gives you a new arsenal of insights toward living a better life.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, History

3 pages, Audio CD

First published December 1, 1990

Reviews

[Nesreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfectly solid introduction.

[CA Ram Melam · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 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 exerted a far-reaching influence on our age."

During his death, existentialism declined in French philosophy. It was overtaken by structuralism, represented by Levi-Strauss and one of Sartre's detractors, Michel Foucault.

[Kofi Opoku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sartre’s thesis on the interdependence of the body as an object was perhaps the most profound section. One cannot truly exist for himself alone unless he can make everyone else disappear. I also liked his reflections on human freedom and how that impacts our vocations, etc. In a sense, we are always trying to be who we are meant to be as defined by a standard outside of us, what Sartre calls “bad faith.” He argues that the truly free man is the one who is not constrained by expectations of being. According to Sartre, when we start being who we are meant to be, we cease to be free.

Overall, the book was better than expected. I still think that Sartre wasted his life in pursuit of the absurd (the unanswerable). This is not to say that we do not benefit from his writings. I listened to the audiobook. It was very well produced and the author did a great job keeping things objective. I recommend this work for anyone seeking a quick overview of Sartre’s work.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book on Jean-Paul Sartre and Existentialism. The book explains Existentialism in great detail, as it's a fairly complex philosophy. This book gave me a a deep respect for Sartre's intellect and mental acuity. I wish his books were available on Audible.

[Eden Washburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're missing your old university philosophy classes, this is a good, easy, quick dip back in.

Jean-Paul Sartre is an existentialist's best friend. This book will give you an intro to his views and make you consider how everything is a performance. You only exist in how others perceive you, and they only exist in your perception of them.

[Bells · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF
The narration of the audio version was unbearable to me
Hate the way it’s written
Hate to DNF but … it’s noise

[Jyvur Entropy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly solid intro to Sartre. I liked that the book broke it down into how his philosophy changed over the course of his life. Particularly how he emphasized the individual in his earlier theories to the point that society and all of its pervasive influences is ignored. The individual or society is a false dichotomy because both exit inside of each other and constantly influence and interact with one another to the point that there can be no distinction. In his later theories, Sartre addresses this, saying that the individual has the responsibility to internalize the external and then re-externalize it in a better way.

The book didn't really delve into the criticisms of Sartre or the obvious self-defeating logic holes in Sartre's earliest theories and around the time he wrote 'Being and Nothingness.'
I have to point the logic hole out:
Sartre's existentialism is pure moral relativism. Everything is subjective, there is no inherent meaning, values are created by man and do not pre-exist man...okay. Fine. But then Sartre argues that with this incredible freedom (freedom from meaning and freedom to invent one's own "being" as essence does not create being in the case of man) comes responsiblity-the responsibility to live with intention and project to the world with one's actions one's own subjective idea of what a "good" person is.

Okay so like...let's break this down: Everything is meaningless therefore altruism.
Huh?
My dude, how you gonna go all postmodern moral relativism and then make such a strong value judgement in favor of altruism?
This begs the question so hard it's practically panhandling.

But eh...a lot of Sartre's work is full of contradictions. The dude was also a pedo Communist who supported violence for the means of political change.
His own life might be a good example of why we might want to veer away from moral relativism.

I also want to say I found the snippets from Sartre's play "No Exit" really interesting. Lots of neat ideas here about how we construct our sense of self by being observed by others. It's like...who would we even be without the gaze of the other?
At the same time, like Sartre says, Hell is other people.

[Xavier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illuminating ideas that develop from the foundations of Descartes. "I think therefore I am" transforms into "I am what I make of what others conceive me to be". The idea that any label infringes on ones own right to agency and self determination is increasingly interesting. The concept of the self cannot exist without the other, but the other also imposes upon and defines the self for each of us. We both desire and require freedom for ourselves and for others but not so much freedom that we go beyond the boundaries of our definitions. Every person is 'acting' as themselves in the moment they choose to be that person. Whether or not the self adheres to the expectations of the other is jarring regardless of the moral or ethical implications of the action.

I struggle with these concepts mostly because I do not believe wholly in free will. I will have to look deeper into Sartre and other more contemporary philosophers in order to change my mind about free will. I would very much like to believe that I am in control of my actions and that my ethics and morality are sound but the evidence is stacked against this perspective.

[Felipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

While, as someone who knew next to nothing about Sartre before listening, I cannot speak to the depth and/or reliability of the information provided, it was a very digestible and (for the length and assumed intended audience) quite broad coverage of his work. I feel that, for what it is, it's a great resource, and indeed might help whenever I want to dive more deeply into Sartre's work (should that day arise).

Also, Charlton Heston is an absolutely FANTASTIC audiobook narrator! I am tempted to go find a list of everything he ever produced after this... For someone always very dubious about the narrative/voice acting abilities of otherwise-specialized persons (don't even get me started on celebrity "voice acting" in animation), I was very, very happily surprised and extremely impressed.
(However, while I can understand their providence, I could have done without the outrageously French Sartre quotes throughout.)

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tries to really boil down Sartre's thinking as much as possible.

I can't really say how accurate it is but it is fairly readable.

I found myself thinking about Sartre's obsession with choice, freedom and meaning.

It is very interesting to see that Sartre, towards the end of his life, abandoned his own philosophy and adopted a much more nuanced view on whether humans really have total freedom to "create" ourselves and find any meaning in our lives.

His original position (when he founded existentialism) is very stimulating but it strikes me as a bit naïve and idealistic. The idea that we can just choose to be whatever we want and thus have "total responsibility" for our circumstances sounds just too clear cut and pat.

[Percival Buncab · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Giants of Philosophy is a series of introductions exclusively produced as audiobooks.

This volume on Sartre gives a decent brief biography and exposition of his major works.

The audio sounds quite messy, and although I give props to the narrator who tries to imitate Sartre's accent, it's quite annoying at times.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick overview that touched upon his major works and philosophies. I really enjoyed that the audio utilized different narrators when playing out an excerpt of No Exit! I would recommend it to anyone who wants a refresher in distinguishing Sartre in their mind, but I'm not sure how much of a help it would be to those who are looking to delve further into Sartre's philosophies. I think this series might help someone who is just being introduced to philosophy and may help them figure out which philosophers they want to learn more about. So there's that!

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and well structured introduction to the philosophy of Sartre, read in the unmistakable authorative tones of Charlton Heston. Not sure they really needed to put on a French accent to read quotes from Sartre and his contemporaries though. Going to listen to the one on Nietzsche next. Wonder what the German accents will be like..

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant summary of Sartre's philosophy. I especially liked the analysis of changes in his thinking over time.
Charleton Heston is an outstanding narrator - my goodness what a voice.

"We must strive always to be free, honest and involved. We must try to make a difference."

[Joseph Manfredonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives the gist of Jean-Pauls thought.

[AttackGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting introduction. I think late Sartre is more sane than early Sartre.

[Austin Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly well done.

[Annabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

solid introduction to sartre. listed to it as a audio book, would recommend

[Patrick Joos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and very informative

[Reuven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good summary. Much better than what I got in class.
I believe I understand his philosophy now.

[Justinas Rastenis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of Sartre’s philosophy. Worthy to read before jumping into primary content or generally exploring the overall ideas of the philosopher.

[Alyssa Macpherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but really just a quick overview, sprinkled with quotes from Sartre.

[Diya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling and substantial introduction to the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, narrated superbly Charlton Heston. I really enjoyed the exploration of his life in tangent with the development of his philosophies. It is interesting to perceive how schools of thought are shaped by their preachers' life experiences.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to audible version.

A general overview Sartre's contributions to French political thought and philosophy. Useful for acquainting oneself with the breadth of Sartre's work.

Would have been better if it had a bibliography so I could find further reading material.

[James Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me want to read Sarte's writings. Of all the philosophers covered in the Giants of Philosophy, Jean-Paul Sarte resonated the most with my own personal philosophy. Although this philosophical overview was brief, it is packed with intriguing concepts and ideas!