Re:Philosophy, the Sartre blend: uncovering the birth of exi...
by joe_the_user on Saturday September 24, 2016 @01:03PM
(#12571655)
"...What is shown by the crowds that lined the Boulevard du Montparnasse to catch a glimpse of Sartre’s hearse is not something about France, but something about Sartre in his own right, something that demands explanation. Why were so many people drawn to him? Why did he matter to so many?
"For Sarah Bakewell, the answer lies in the peculiar appeal, and the timeliness, of the philosophy that he espoused: existentialism. "
I have to disagree. Not that Existentialism is unimportant but I would assert that it was "something about France" in the sense that philosophers are highly respected and that they essentially are public figures akin to celebrities.
You could even say it shows "something about America" (or England) that other countries respecting philosophers as much as we respect reality TV show stars is considered strange and needing of explanation.
"For Sarah Bakewell, the answer lies in the peculiar appeal, and the timeliness, of the philosophy that he espoused: existentialism. "
I have to disagree. Not that Existentialism is unimportant but I would assert that it was "something about France" in the sense that philosophers are highly respected and that they essentially are public figures akin to celebrities.
You could even say it shows "something about America" (or England) that other countries respecting philosophers as much as we respect reality TV show stars is considered strange and needing of explanation.