The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism by Aho, Kevin; Altman, Megan; Pedersen, Hans;

Short description:

Essential reading for students and researchers of existentialism and phenomenology, and also of interest to those studying ethics, philosophy and gender, philosophy of race, the emotions and philosophical issues in health and illness as well as related disciplines such as Literature, Sociology, and Political Theory.

Long description:

Of the philosophical movements of the twentieth century existentialism is one of the most powerful and thought-provoking. Its engagement with the themes of authenticity, freedom, bad faith, nihilism, and the death of God captured the imagination of millions. However, in the twenty-first century existentialism is grappling with fresh questions and debates that move far beyond traditional existential preoccupations, ranging from the lived experience of the embodied self, intersectionality, and feminist theory to comparative philosophy, digital existentialism, disability studies, and philosophy of race.

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism explores these topics and more, connecting the ideas and insights of existentialism with some of the most urgent debates and challenges in philosophy today. Eight clear sections explore the following topics:

• methodology and technology


• social and political perspectives


• environment and place


• affectivity and emotion


• death and freedom


• value


• existentialism and Asian philosophy


• aging and disability.

As well as chapters on key figures such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Beauvoir, the Handbook includes chapters on topics as diverse as Chicana feminism, ecophilosophy and the environment, Latina existentialism, Black nihilism, the Kyoto school and southeast Asian existentialism, and the experiences of aging, disability, and death.

Essential reading for students and researchers in the areas of existentialism and phenomenology, The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism will also be of interest to those studying ethics, philosophy and gender, philosophy of race, the emotions and philosophical issues in health and illness as well as related disciplines such as Literature, Sociology, and Political Theory.

'In 40 original chapters, current philosophers offer a reevaluation of core existential topics, bringing them into conversation with contemporary concerns...Of note, this volume makes significant gains in decolonizing existentialism and uncovering existential themes across a diverse array of non-European philosophical and sociological perspectives. As with previous Routledge handbooks, this handbook is well edited and organized with a usable index. Summing Up: Highly recommended.' - CHOICE

Table of Contents:

Introduction Kevin Aho, Megan Altman, and Hans Pedersen  Part 1: Methodology and Technology  1. Existential Phenomenology and Concepts: Thinking with Heidegger Lawrence Hatab  2. Existential Phenomenology and Qualitative Research Anthony Vincent Fernandez  3. Existentialism and AI in the 21^st-Century: Thoughts on the Control Problem Hans Pedersen  4. Existentialism and Death in a Digital Age Patrick Stokes  5. Being in Digital Worlds Rebecca Longtin  Part 2: Social and Political Perspectives  6. Existence Theory and Contemporary Culture Patrick Baert, Marcus Morgan, and Rin Ushiyama  7. Sartre and the Politics of the Far Right William Remley  8. Existentialism and Political Transformation: Sartre and the Ambiguities of Freedom and Praxis Laura McMahon  9. Arendt’s Political Existentialism Niall Keane  10. Four Reasons for Rebellion: On the Existentialist Revolt against the Crowd Antony Aumann  11. Self-Creation in Chicana Feminism Lori Gallegos and Emma Velez  Part 3: Environment and Place  12. Place, Dwelling, Existence Janet Donohoe  13. Existentialism and Place: Reflections on the Significance of Place through Goldsworthy, Heidegger, and Nietzsche Gerard Kuperus  14. An Eco-Existentialist Analysis of the Lived Experience of Climate Change and Its Denial Ruth Tietjen  15. Latina Existentialism and the Multiplicitous Self: Being-between-worlds and Not Being-at-Ease Mariana Ortega  16. Mexican Existentialism Carlos Alberto Sánchez  Part 4: Affectivity and Emotion  17. Faces of Finitude: Death, Loss, and Trauma Robert Stolorow  18. Revisiting Kierkegaard on Anxiety and Despair Emily Hughes  19. Shame Luna Dolezal  20. Beauvoir on Non-Monogamy in Loving Relationships Ellie Anderson  Part 5: Death and Freedom  21. Death Is an Injustice: Dispelling a Common Myth about Existentialism and Mortality Adam Buben  22. We are Our Possibilities: From Sartre to Beauvoir to Løgstrup Matthew Ratcliffe  23. Existential Choice Revisited Richard Polt  24. Existentialism in Frederick Douglass James Haile III  Part 6: Value  25. Black Nihilism Devon Johnson  26. Nothing Matters: Heidegger on Nietzsche on Nihilism Lee Braver  27. Ideal Value and Exemplary Experience Irene McMullin  28. Existential Crises Katherine Withy  29. Existential Normativity and Secular Faith Steven Crowell  30. Kierkegaard on Evading Moral Evasions Gordon Marino  Part 7: Existentialism and Asian Philosophy  31. Recuperating from Existential Emptiness Sickness: Nishitani after Sartre Jason Wirth  32. Nothingness and Love in Nietzsche and the Kyoto School Rick Anthony Furtak  33. Buddhism and Existentialism: Saṃvega as Existential Dread of the Human Condition Stephen Harris  34. Self-Awareness and Nothingness: Wang Yangming, Wang Ji, and Existential Confucianism Eric Nelson  Part 8: Approaches to Aging and Disability  35. The Phenomenology of Frailty: Existentialism and Old-Age Vulnerability Fredrik Svenaeus  36. Shifting Horizons in Aging and the Call for a Spiralic Understanding of the Future Kirsten Jacobson  37. Authenticity and Aging John Russon  38. Useless Mouths or Useful Labour? Applying Simone de Beauvoir’s Philosophy of Old Age to Gray Labour Force Exploitation Shannon Musset  39. Nostalgia and Well-Being: An Existentialist Analysis Dylan Trigg  40. Possibilities of which I Am: Disability, Existentialism, and Embodiment Joel Michael Reynolds.  Index