Introducing Sartre

Introducing Sartre by Philip Thody
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up on a whim at a local second-hand bookstore. My only meaningful experience with Sartre was reading and seeing the play No Exit and the examination of Sartre and his work as presented in the (most excellent and strongly-recommended) book Irrational Man: A Study in Existential Philosophy. I thought I could stand to learn more about the man and his philosophy. So, I thought I'd pick up Introducing Sartre and see if I could learn a little something.

I did. But very little. And something more of his political beliefs than his core philosophical examinations. I've learned more about Sartre's philosophy from Barrett's book than I did from this. Much more, in fact.

That isn't to say that the book doesn't have merit. On the contrary, the high-level overview of Sartre's work is fairly well done (if a bit disorganized, in spots). For those who know absolutely nothing about Sartre, I can see how this would be a good introduction; an interesting, but not absolutely compelling mix of biography, political, and philosophical explication.

One note that stuck out to me (that has everything to do with the times in which we now live) is the authors' take on Sartre's analysis of anti-Semitism as a weird sort of coping mechanism for weak-minded people who are seeking to absolve themselves of responsibility. This is being born out in the US, UK, and elsewhere right now, and not just with anti-Jewish sentiment. People would rather blame and persecute than do the actual work necessary to truly exercise their inherent freedom. They become trapped inside their own hatred of those they think are impinging on their freedom. Ironic.

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