Introduction to Existentialism

Ambitious in its sweep and patient in its survey of the major figures in the history of existentialism, this introduction is novel in its attempt to situate existentialism within the broader history of Western philosophy and offers careful and clearly written accounts of the major figures it examines. Wicks goes further than other commentators who have offered introductions and reader's guides to the subject in that he traces the formative influences on the pioneers of existentialist thought and reinforces these influences as he moves from figure to figure. Wicks further manages to include useful and informative accounts of the influence of existentialism on Christian and Jewish thinkers from the 20th century. At a time when existentialism is all too often seen as a dated and somewhat irrelevant philosophical approach, Wicks does a commendable job of making the case for its continuing relevance in the contemporary world while offering a helpful guide to readers looking to understand the fundamental ideas underlying some notoriously complex texts -- Dr Mahon O'Brien, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Sussex, UK