Simply Sartre

The philosopher who made freedom a responsibility.

Jean-Paul Sartre believed that we are not simply given a fixed identity or purpose. We have to make choices, and those choices help determine who we become. In Simply Sartre, philosopher David Detmer offers an accessible introduction to the life and ideas of one of the twentieth century's most influential thinkers. Detmer explains Sartre's central ideas about freedom, responsibility, consciousness, existence, and the uneasy relationship between the individual and society. He also explores Sartre's belief that we create meaning through our choices, along with his ideas about bad faith, authenticity, and the ways people sometimes deceive themselves to avoid the burden of freedom. Placing Sartre's philosophy alongside his novels, plays, political writings, and relationship with Simone de Beauvoir, the book presents a fuller picture of a thinker who believed philosophy should engage directly with the problems of ordinary life.