Existentialism and the Authentic Life

Course Overview

Dive into the great works of existential thinkers to see how they defined their philosophy—and what it can teach us about our own lives.

Course No. 60080

“What’s the point of it all?” Most of us have asked ourselves that question at one time or another. The philosophers known as the existentialists certainly did—and for the same reasons you might: war, love, politics, racism, mortality, and more. In the 24 fascinating lectures of Existentialism and the Authentic Life, Professor Skye C. Cleary will lead you through the writings of Sartre, Beauvoir, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Camus, Fanon, and others to help you understand how they addressed life’s biggest questions.

Key existential themes explored in this course include:

• Anxiety: How choice and freedom create existential anxiety
• Freedom: The limits and possibilities of human freedom
• Responsibility: Our duty to ourselves and others in pursuing authenticity
• Meaning: How to create purpose in an apparently absurd world

Video Lectures

01: How to Think like an Existentialist (30 min)

Explore fundamental existential themes: anxiety, ethics, freedom, and life’s meaning through the works of Sartre and Beauvoir.

02: Søren Kierkegaard on Existential Crises (33 min)

Discover why Kierkegaard is considered the first existentialist and his three phases of self-fulfillment: aesthetic, ethical, and religious.

03: Kierkegaard’s Leap to Faith (33 min)

Understand Kierkegaard’s concept of the “leap” not just to religion, but to any unifying life purpose.

04: Friedrich Nietzsche on Authentic Greatness (31 min)

Examine Nietzsche’s declaration that “God is dead” and his concept of the Übermensch who creates meaning in this life.

05: Nietzsche on Creating Super-Relationships (30 min)

Learn how Nietzsche saw authentic friendship as an antidote to life’s absurdities and a foundation for meaningful love.

06: Martin Heidegger on Authentic Being (34 min)

Explore Heidegger’s concepts of authenticity vs. inauthenticity in his seminal work Being and Time.

07: José Ortega y Gasset on Authentic Destiny (32 min)

Discover Ortega’s view that feeling “shipwrecked” in the world is essential for finding one’s authentic path.

08: Karl Jaspers on Authentic Communication (32 min)

Learn why Jaspers believed “Communication is the path to truth in all its forms.”

09: Albert Camus on Authentic Happiness (31 min)

Explore Camus’ surprising argument that happiness must be deliberately planned and cultivated.

10: Camus on Absurdity (32 min)

Does life’s inherent absurdity mean it has no value? Camus’ profound answer to this existential dilemma.

11: Camus on Authenticity amid Chaos (27 min)

How The Plague teaches us to find joy and meaning even in times of suffering.

12: Camus on Authentic Rebellion (33 min)

Camus’ philosophy of rebellion that says no to nihilism while affirming human dignity.

13: Frantz Fanon on Restoring Human Dignity (31 min)

How Fanon addressed the existential crisis of racism and inspired civil rights movements.

14: Jean-Paul Sartre on Why Hell Is Other People (27 min)

The real meaning behind Sartre’s famous line from No Exit about human relationships.

15: Sartre on Sex and Sadomasochism (27 min)

How physical intimacy reveals our deepest anxieties about freedom and authenticity.

16: Sartre on Authentic Work (27 min)

Sartre’s evolving views on how work relates to our “fundamental project” in life.

17: Richard Wright on Overcoming Alienation (30 min)

America’s first existential novel and its lessons about communication and belonging.

18: Simone de Beauvoir on Authentic Love (30 min)

Beauvoir’s radical concept of love that preserves individual freedom.

19: Beauvoir on Authentic Friendships (26 min)

How The Inseparables explores the challenges and rewards of deep friendship.

20: Beauvoir on Raising Children Authentically (27 min)

Existential parenting: helping children find meaning in an absurd world.

21: Beauvoir on Authentic Aging (22 min)

How to embrace aging while continuing to pursue meaningful projects.

22: Beauvoir on Loving Your Mortality (29 min)

Why immortality might be worse than death, from All Men Are Mortal.

23: Toni Morrison and the Sources of Self-Regard (29 min)

How The Bluest Eye addresses existential themes of identity and community.

24: Everyday Existentialism (32 min)

Applying existential thought to 21st century challenges in technology, ecology, and ethics.