Existentialism Now - by Nik Farrell Fox (Hardcover)

About the Book

Diving into twenty-one key quotations, including 'God is dead' and 'Hell is other people', Existentialism Now unpacks existentialism's key ideas, challenging common misconceptions and demonstrating their value for today's readers, thinkers and decision-makers.

Book Synopsis

What does it mean to live freely, authentically, and responsibly in the twenty-first century?What use do we have for existentialism today? Is it just a tangle of irrational and individualist pessimism, or does it speak to our contemporary minds?

Stereotypically ascribed to the cliques of Bohemia, pretentious café dwellers and tyro philosophers, existentialism is probably the most misunderstood and caricatured of philosophical movements. Rather than offering a dry history of ideas or an angsty guide to intellectual despair however, Existentialism Now shows that existentialist understandings of concepts like freedom, embodiment, ambiguity, authenticity and responsibility speak urgently to the pressures and possibilities of contemporary modern life.

21 iconic quotations from Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Beauvoir, Fanon, Sartre, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and others bring the electrifying force of existentialist thought to bear on our contemporary moment. Lines including: "One is not born, but rather becomes, woman", "Hell is other people", and "Remain true to the earth" offer pathmarks for navigating a world shaken by ecological crisis, political polarisation and technological acceleration, and are launch points for exploring gender, race, trauma, anxiety, technology, ecology, politics, violence, love, and the future of humanity. Ultimately, Nik Farrell Fox argues that we can overturn the misinterpretations that plague existentialism and find instead their renewed relevance to contemporary thought.

Review Quotes

A sparkling kaleidoscope of themes and concepts, this panoramic work ranges from Nietzsche to Derrida, and from racism and violence to sexual love and animal liberation. An exciting read.
Christina Howells, Emeritus Professor of French, Oxford University, UK

Heidegger wrote that "All revealing belongs within a [...] concealing." More than any other philosophical movement, Existentialism has generated scintillating phrases like that, which conceal as they reveal. Nik Fox curates a collection of such treasures and offers the context and interpretation we need to not be merely dazzled by them.
Noah Gabriel Martin, Director of the Modern College of Anxiety CIC, and Associate Lecturer at the University of Winchester, UK

Using arresting quotes as a springboard, Existentialism Now dives deep into core existentialist ideas. It highlights the timeless value of existentialist philosophy and its capacity to help us address some of today's most urgent political, social, and ecological challenges; instigates an expansion of the existentialist canon by attending to the later and less-read works of key existentialists; and masterfully responds to the question of how to interpret Heidegger's contributions to existentialism in light of his, now undeniable, Nazism. It is a marvellous achievement and an essential resource for both scholars and students of existentialism.
Mary L. Edwards, Lecturer in Philosophy, Cardiff University, UK

About the Author

Nick Farrell Fox is a research fellow at the University of Lincoln, UK.