Existentialism For and Against

by Paul Roubiczek

Neither science nor a philosophy which aims at an entirely objective approach can deal with our personal experience. Value-judgements, for instance, presuppose freedom of choice and if responsible actions are to be based on them, man must be free to act according to his decisions. There is clearly an urgent need for a philosophy which can be lived; and it is as a philosophy of this kind that Existentialism exists. In this book Roubiczek confronts the prevalent 'objective' method with the 'subjective' and attempts a proper balance between the objective and the personal, the scientific and the ethical. Concentrating on the valuable aspects of Existentialism, he looks for positive results which can be philosophically justified and, at the same time, accepted as a way of life. This approach leads both towards and beyond Existentialism, so that the book is both an introduction to this school of philosophy and a critique of it.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Chant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course this text is dated (much like Existentialism) but it was a light read on a subject that I still have a passing interest in.

[Sin Tien Tan · Rating 2 out of 5]

An unfair assessment of existentialism, particularly towards the non-religious school. Admittedly, non-religious existentialists, Sartre in particular, are predominantly radical in their philosophy, it does not justify debasing their philosophy on the basis of it being non-religious. Author's lust after the transcendental impedes an objective appreciation of existentialism, be it religious or non-religious.