Existentialism: An Introduction

Over the last several decades, on more than one occasion I have tried to wrap my mind around existentialism and other than to conclude that is what seemed to me to be a philosophy of jargon, I've made little headway. Until now. Keven Aho's short but dense introduction has made much that was very very murky almost clear. It is not that he abandons the jargon but rather that he explains it clearly and unambiguously. Moreover, he explains it through the writings of a very broad spectrum of authors who differ widely in their views. In fact, while I didn't count up the pages or words to be sure, I suspect Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Camus get a lot more ink than does Sartre. Certainly Kierkegaard and Nietzsche do. (Beauvoir gets her due in a section on existentialism as applied to historically fringe groups: women, people of color, colonial subjects etc.)Aho utilizes the differences both to make clear the central tenants of existentialism (even when that term was not accepted by the writer in question) and to make clear how some of the problems that existentialism as a philosophy presents, e.g. in ethics where the criticism is made that in existentialism there is no moral ground, are dealt with. Despite the brevity of the text (only a little over 150 pages) the coverage is broad. Aho starts with a history of the self up to the time of Nietzche, before going through phenomenology and Heidegger's "being-in-the-world." From there, he has chapters on the Self and Others, Freedom, Authenticity, and Ethics before finishing with a couple of chapters on the relevance of existentialism today. The core of this latter discussion is a very well balanced look at the notion of existential therapy in contrast with the medical model that usually used to treat people whose mental sufferings have gone beyond acceptability.I do not mean by my favorable review here to suggest I agree with all of the existentialist program presented here. But I do mean to suggest that I finally feel like I understand what that program is and where it comes from. Aho has given me much to ponder and after all that's why I as a nonacademic read books on philosophy in the first place. I am very glad to have read his book

This is a very detailed introduction to existentialism, perhaps the most technical introductory book you can find on the topic.I think Aho did a fairly good job at explaining most of the ideas — after all, some ideas are so intricate and fuzzy that it'd be just as difficult to understand them by reading the original authors.I also think the last chapter needs to be rewritten. There are some good points there, especially about health and illness, but I think Aho should have paid more attention to framing the discussion in a less anti-scientific way — right now, some claims may seem very far-fetched, or, better said, plain stupid, which I think it doesn't reflect reality.To those interested in reading this book but not used to the philosophical jargon, it's worth mentioning that Aho doesn't shy away from basic philosophical lingo. I think it's manageable though, the book should be given a try anyway!(As always, the reading experience on a desktop on the Kindle Amazon Cloud Reader is so so bad)

As a casual philosophy reader, this was an excellent introductory book. Dr. Aho does a wonderful job of explaining difficult concepts in a very accessible way, and offering multiple viewpoints on the same topics from various key existentialist thinkers. I particularly liked his frequent literary and contemporary references, from Camus to Yalom, and his efforts to connect existentialist ideas to modern day careers, such as in healthcare.

This is a comprehensive look at Existentialism's history, major figures, and contemporary relevance. Dr. Aho makes the ideas very accessible for everyone without dumbing down the concepts. He is also very effective at clarifying jargon-filled texts, so reading this is much less intimidating than jumping right into Heidegger or Kierkegaard. It also draws beautifully from the works of Camus, Dostoevsky, Sartre, and Beauvoir (among many others). I highly recommend this for anyone interested in a subject that is (arguably) more relevant now than ever.

Ditto to the above introduction and reviews. As an introduction for a philosophy, I would say it’s a masterpiece. Aho clarifies a very muddy concept. Easy reading and understandable.

Thanks to Aho for this up to date work on existentialism. It shows how its contributors are more relevant than ever. Great Bibliography for further reading.

Difficult topic but explained very well.

Aho is one of the finest minds in modern existential thought. A unique ability to showcase the foundational fundamentals of the thinkers of the past, while also synthesizing those ideas into a modern imperative is showcased here.