At The Existentialist Café

Résumé du livre

Sarah Bakewell is a writer from Bournemouth, England. She spent her childhood traveling and living in Australia with her parents, before eventually returning to the UK. There, she studied philosophy at the University of Essex and worked as a cataloger and curator of early printed books at London’s Wellcome Library for the History of Medicine. She is the author of four books including The Smart, The English Dane and How To Live: A Life of Montaigne.

Freiburg, a scenic town in southwest Germany, became the birthplace of phenomenology under Edmund Husserl, who emphasized describing experiences as they are lived, free from preconceived notions. This method, exemplified by the concept of *epoché* or "suspension of judgment," sought to uncover deeper truths about life. Husserl’s student Martin Heidegger expanded on these ideas in *Being and Time*, introducing the concept of *Dasein* to explore the essence of being, though his Nazi affiliation later marred his legacy. Meanwhile, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, inspired by phenomenology, forged existentialism—a philosophy centered on freedom and individual responsibility. Their unconventional relationship and shared intellectual pursuits embodied their ideals, influencing post-war culture and politics. Sartre’s *Being and Nothingness* explored themes like bad faith and the weight of freedom, while de Beauvoir’s *The Second Sex* applied existentialist principles to critique women’s societal roles, laying the groundwork for modern feminism. Together, they championed a philosophy that sought to redefine human existence in a rapidly changing world.

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