Historical Dictionary Of Existentialism

Stephen Michelman provides an integrated, critical, and historically sensitive understanding of this important philosophical movement."--Jacket.

Existentialism, as a philosophy, gained prominence after World War II. Instead of focusing upon a particular aspect of human existence, existentialists argued that our focus must be upon the whole being as he/she exists in the world. Rebelling against the rationalism of such philosophers as Descartes and Hegel, existentialists reject the emphasis placed on man as primarily a thinking being. Freedom is central to human existence, and human relations and encounters cannot be reduced simply to "thinking." This Dictionary provides--through alphabetically arranged entries--overviews of the various tenets, philosophers, and writers of existentialism, and of those writers/philosophers who, in retrospect, seem to existentialists to espouse their philosophy: Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Dostoyevski, et al.

This volume, which follows hard on the heels of publication of the final volume of the 26-volume set of Kierkegaard's writings (Princeton, 1980-2000), allows its readers 'to find their way quickly to relevant sources of help,' elucidates Kierkegaard's 'central concepts,' and demonstrates the contemporary relevance of his ideas (he is 'important because of his emphasis on human subjectivity').

Existentialism, as a philosophy, gained prominence after World War II. Instead of focusing upon a particular aspect of human existence, existentialists argued that our focus must be upon the whole being as he/she exists in the world. Rebelling against the rationalism of such philosophers as Descartes and Hegel, existentialists reject the emphasis placed on man as primarily a thinking being. Freedom is central to human existence, and human relations and encounters cannot be reduced simply to "thinking." This Dictionary provides--through alphabetically arranged entries--overviews of the various tenets, philosophers, and writers of existentialism, and of those writers/philosophers who, in retrospect, seem to existentialists to espouse their philosophy: Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Dostoyevski, et al.

Edmund Husserl is generally regarded as the founding figure of the philosophical movement of “phenomenology,” by which he understands a descriptive science of the essential structures of experiences and of their objects precisely as these are experienced. Phenomenology has had a decisive influence on philosophy in the 20th century, especially in Europe. The movement known as “continental philosophy,” whether practiced in Europe or elsewhere, has its roots in phenomenology and in the post-Hegelian philosophies of Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Karl Marx. Historical Dictionary of Husserl's Philosophy, Second Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 600 cross-referenced entries on his key concepts and major writings as well as entries on his most important predecessors, contemporaries, and successors. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Edmund Husserl.

Historical Dictionary of Kierkegaard's Philosophy, Second Edition chronicles the life and thoughts of the great Danish thinker Søren Kierkegaard (1813-55). What makes this volume essential is its extensive scope: it provides a glossary of concepts, persons, and places related to Kierkegaard’s authorship, from “Absolute” to “Hans Christian Ørsted.” This is done through a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 200 cross-referenced entries oncepts, persons, and places related to the life and work of Søren Kierkegaard. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about this subject.

The number of technical terms employed by existentialist philosophy must be precisely defined in order that the intended thought may be properly understood. This book is designed to present such definitions based on documentary source materials by the major existentialists, such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, Jaspers, Marcel, Heidegger, Camus and Berdysev.

"Historical Dictionary of Ethics covers a broad range of topics, including theories, issues, and concepts; historical periods and historical figures; applied ethics; non-Western approaches; and related disciplines. Harry J. Gensler and Earl W. Spurgin tackle such issues as abortion, capital punishment, stem-cell research, and terrorism and explain such key theories as utilitarianism, natural law, social contract, and virtue ethics. This reference provides a complete overview of ethics through a detailed chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and more than 200 cross-referenced dictionary entries, including bioethics, business ethics, Aristotle, Hobbes, autonomy, confidentiality, Confucius, and psychology."--BOOK JACKET.