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365DaysOfPhilosophy 180 — Book Resource At The Existentialist Café- Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails
“…there is a certain refreshment of perspective to be had from revisiting the existentialists, with their boldness and energy. They did not sit around playing with their signifiers. They asked big questions about what it means to live an authentic, fully human life, thrown into a world with many other humans also trying to live. They tackled questions about nuclear war, about how we occupy the environment, about violence, and about the difficulty of managing international relations in dangerous times. Many of them longed to change the world, and wondered what sacrifices we might or might not make for such an aim…”- Sarah Bakewell, At The Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails.
I’m more of a mocktail than cocktail fan, but At the Existentialist Café’s premise of exploring the philosophical concepts of modern existentialism and the personal experiences of the author, makes an informative and engaging story. Its character-based focus sometimes reminds me of another great ‘introduction to philosophy’ book: Sophie’s World.
While investigating how what we are and how we are to live arose as questions, the book delves into historical and cultural influences, exploring modern existentialism as a tale of encounters between ideas and between people. Naturally, the greatest proponents of the philosophy are Jean Paul Satre and Simone de Beauvoir and their contribution to the field is the primary hook. Through the influences of Camus, Heidegger, Murdoch and more, the criss-cross of history dovetails with Bakewell’s own evident enthusiasm for philosophy, making this a very accessible journey through the era and beyond (even if you don’t have a wardrobe of black turtlenecks).
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“…there is a certain refreshment of perspective to be had from revisiting the existentialists, with their boldness and energy. They did not sit around playing with their signifiers. They asked big questions about what it means to live an authentic, fully human life, thrown into a world with many other humans also trying to live. They tackled questions about nuclear war, about how we occupy the environment, about violence, and about the difficulty of managing international relations in dangerous times. Many of them longed to change the world, and wondered what sacrifices we might or might not make for such an aim…”- Sarah Bakewell, At The Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails.
I’m more of a mocktail than cocktail fan, but At the Existentialist Café’s premise of exploring the philosophical concepts of modern existentialism and the personal experiences of the author, makes an informative and engaging story. Its character-based focus sometimes reminds me of another great ‘introduction to philosophy’ book: Sophie’s World.
While investigating how what we are and how we are to live arose as questions, the book delves into historical and cultural influences, exploring modern existentialism as a tale of encounters between ideas and between people. Naturally, the greatest proponents of the philosophy are Jean Paul Satre and Simone de Beauvoir and their contribution to the field is the primary hook. Through the influences of Camus, Heidegger, Murdoch and more, the criss-cross of history dovetails with Bakewell’s own evident enthusiasm for philosophy, making this a very accessible journey through the era and beyond (even if you don’t have a wardrobe of black turtlenecks).