Rethinking Existentialism
Monograph articulating an original interpretation of existentialism as the ethical theory that human freedom is the foundation of all other values. Through original analyses of classic literary and philosophical works published by Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Frantz Fanon up until 1952, this conception of existentialism is developed in critical contrast with central works by Albert Camus, Sigmund Freud, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty.
A full synopsis of the book, online articles about it, and short videos explaining its central arguments are all available from the Rethinking Existentialism website.
“Clear and readable, this book is advanced but will still be inviting to nonspecialists. A valuable resource in the classroom and in research. Summing up: Highly recommended” – Choice
“Rethinking Existentialism is a substantial and valuable attempt to re-evaluate the core ideas of this important philosophical movement” – Juliana de Albuquerque, University College Cork, Times Literary Supplement
“there is a great deal of really excellent analysis in this book – of Sartre, of Beauvoir, of Fanon, and of The Outsider, She Came to Stay, and No Exit – with which scholars will want to engage seriously” – Katherine Morris, Oxford University, Mind
"Rethinking Existentialism is a timely text which demonstrates the contemporary relevance of existential philosophy ... Rethinking Existentialism is not only essential reading for anyone interested in existentialism, but the only book one needs." - Kyle Shuttleworth, Queen's University Belfast, Sartre Studies International
ISBN: 9780198735908 (hbk); 9780198866763 (pbk). Oxford University Press, 2018.
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From Personality to Virtue: Essays on the Philosophy of Character
Co-edited with Alberto Masala.
The idea that people have persisting character traits that explain their behaviour is woven throughout the fabric of our culture. These philosophical essays clarify this idea of character and analyse its relation with the findings of experimental psychology.
They bring together a range of issues in contemporary philosophy, including the nature of agency, the modelling of behavioural cognition, ethical implications of personal necessity, moral responsibility for implicit bias, the prospects for character education, and the nature of rightful criminal punishment.
The volume is intended to demonstrate the deep conceptual affinity of moral philosophy and social psychology.
Chapters are written by Jonathan Jacobs, Katrina Sifferd, Roman Altshuler, Katharina Bauer, Jules Holroyd and Dan Kelly, Jonathan Webber, Christian Miller, Mark Alfano, Nafsika Athanassoulis, and Alberto Masala.
ISBN: 9780198746812 (hbk). Oxford University Press, 2016. <preview in Google Book Search>
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Reading Sartre: on Phenomenology and Existentialism
Collection of fourteen original papers on Sartre's philosophical writings up to 1950. Each chapter is both exegetical and critical. Together, they cover the full range of Sartre's early thought and present an assessment of its relevance to a variety of current debates.
The papers analyse Sartre's theories of authenticity, bad faith, embodiment, emotions, ethnicity, freedom, imagination, other people, perception, and self-awareness. In the process, these chapters also consider the distinctive features of Sartre's philosophical writing in this phase of his career.
Chapters are by Christine Daigle, Andreas Elipdorou, Matthew Eshleman, Sebastian Gardner, Azzedine Haddour, Anthony Hatzimoysis, Robert Hopkins, Andrew Leak, Katherine Morris, Sarah Richmond, Alan Thomas, Jonathan Webber, Kenneth Williford, and Dan Zahavi.
ISBN: 9780415550956 (hbk); 9780415550963 (pbk). Routledge, 2011. <preview in Google Book Search>
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The Existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre
Monograph arguing for an original interpretation of Sartrean existentialism as the elaboration of one basic idea, that a person's character consists in the projects they pursue. The book unpacks Sartre's notion of a project and details its role in his accounts of character, freedom, bad faith, and interpersonal relations. Sartrean existentialism is argued to be a form of virtue ethics with important contributions to make to current debates in metaethics and moral psychology.
“The Existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre, which confronts an impressive number of the major interpreters of Sartre, is an extremely valuable scholarly contribution to that study ... Webber does a better job of clarifying Sartre's ambiguous statements about the many varieties of bad faith (and good faith and sincerity) than anyone I have read” – Thomas C. Anderson, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Read the full review.
ISBN: 9780415411189 (hbk); 9780415848589 (pbk). Routledge, 2009. <preview in Google Book Search>
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The Imaginary: A Phenomenological Psychology of the Imagination
Arguably the finest treatment of the nature of imagination in Western philosophical literature, Sartre's early book The Imaginary is his most careful and detailed work of phenomenological psychology and an excellent introduction to his understanding of consciousness.
My translation is accompanied by my philosophical introduction, notes on the translation, and full index, along with an historical introduction by Sartre's adopted daughter and literary executor, Arlette Elkaïm-Sartre.
It is also the only English translation currently in print.
ISBN: 978-1138834484 (hbk); 978-0415287555 (pbk). Routledge, 2004. <preview in Google Book Search>
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