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HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
1.
COURSE TITLE
Philosophy of Life in Existentialism (存在主義人生哲學)
2.
COURSE CODE
R. P. 1150
3.
NO. OF UNITS
3
4.
OFFERING DEPARTMENT
Department of Religion and Philosophy
5.
AIMS & OBJECTIVES
(1) To help students develop a critical appreciation of existentialists’ reflections on life.
(2) To provide students with an opportunity to explore the salient issues which constitute the
mystery of human existence, and to stimulate them to formulate their own answers to these
issues.
6.
COURSE DESCRIPTION/ CONTENT
This course is a study of the existentialists’ quest for understanding human life and existence. It
begins with the introduction to the philosophical movement of existentialism: its historical
background and its distinctive features in contrast with other kinds of philosophy. Then the thought
of the major existentialists will be introduced and critically assessed. Finally, major themes about
human existence, which are discussed by the existentialists, will be systematically explored.
本科目研究存在主義對人生及人類存在的思考。課程首先會介紹存在主義這哲學運動：其歷
史背景，及對比其他哲學而言其獨有之特質；然後會解釋及批判地評估主要存在主義者的思
想。最後，課程會系統化地探討存在主義者所論關於人類存在的主要課題。
Outline Content:
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I.
Introduction
a. Historical Background to the Rise of Existentialism
b. Distinctive Features of Existentialist Philosophy
II.
The Major Existentialists
(Due to limitation of time, selected topics of the following will be covered at the discretion
of the instructor.)
a. Kierkegaard
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b. Nietzsche
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Camus
Sartre
Marcel
Buber
Jaspers
Dostoevsky
Berdyaev
III. The Mystery of Human Existence
(Due to limitation of time, selected topics of the following will be covered at the discretion of
the instructor.)
a. Freedom and Anxiety
b. Suffering and Death
c. Hope and Human Destiny
d. The Absurdity (or Meaning) of Life
e. Dialogue, Love and Interpersonal Relationship
f. Existentialist Ethics
g. God and Human Existence
IV. Conclusion: The Significance of Existentialist Reflections on Life
7.
8.
COURSE INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (CILOS)
CILO
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
CILO 1
Explain the basic ideas of the major existentialists and their relevance to
contemporary life.
CILO 2
Assess the merits and limitations of the existentialist approach to philosophy and
life.
CILO 3
Show a self-reflective attitude toward one’s own existence.
TEACHING & LEARNING ACTIVITIES (TLAS)
CILO
CILO 1
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TLAs
The students will:

actively participate in lectures which introduce the basic ideas of the major
existentialists and their relevance to contemporary life.

read selected articles on the basic ideas of the major existentialists, and then
explain the basic ideas of those readings to the whole tutorial group and
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lecturer.
CILO 2
CILO 3
9.
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
respond to questions of the classmates during tutorial sessions concerning
their understanding of the basic ideas of the major existentialists.

write a term paper to assess the basic ideas of one major existentialist and his
relevance to contemporary life.

answer essay questions in the final examination about the basic ideas of the
major existentialists and their relevance to contemporary life.

actively participate in lectures which discuss the merits and limitations of the
existentialist approach to philosophy and life.

read selected articles which discuss the merits and limitations of some
existentialists’ approaches to philosophy and life, and then explain their
assessment of those positions to the whole tutorial group and lecturer.

respond to critical questions of the classmates during tutorial sessions
concerning their positions on those approaches.

write a reflection report after the tutorial presentation to explain their stance
on those approaches.

write a term paper to assess the merits and limitations of some existentialists’
approaches to philosophy and life.

answer essay questions in the final examination which require them to assess
the merits and limitations of some existentialists’ approaches to philosophy
and life.

work with other group members on their presentation in the tutorial and have
a constructive dialogue with members holding diverse views on the
existentialist approach to life, reflecting different attitudes towards one’s
existence.

have a critical dialogue with the classmates during tutorials over questions
related to the attitudes towards one’s existence.

write a tutorial report, a term essay and examination essays which all require
them to demonstrate an attitude of self-reflective attitude toward one’s own
existence.
ASSESSMENT METHODS (AMS)
Type of
Assessment
Weighting CILOs to Description of Assessment Tasks
be
addressed
Tutorial
10%
1-3
Students are divided into several groups. Each group is
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Presentation
given assigned readings on a certain existentialist
approach to life. They need to work together and
discuss with the group members. Then they need to
explain the basic ideas concerning the topic in a
coherent manner, and then to evaluate them critically.
In the whole process, the students will have chance to
gain a deeper understanding of the ideas, and to learn
how to critically evaluate the arguments. Finally, other
groups are invited to raise critically questions for
them, and the presenting group needs to answer them
rationally. Throughout the process, the students will be
urged to show an attitude of mutual respect and learn
the process of civil discourse with others.
10.
Tutorial
report
10%
2-3
Each student will be required to write comments and
reflections after the presentation.
Term paper
30%
1-3
Each student needs to write a term paper to assess a
certain existentialist approach to life.
Final Exam
50%
1-2
Each student is required to answer essay questions in
the final examination.
TEXTBOOKS / RECOMMENDED READINGS
Barrett, William. What is Existentialism? New York: Grove Press, 1964.
Berdyaev, Nicolai. Christian Existentialism: A Berdyaev Anthology. Selected and translated by
Donald A. Lowrie. New York: Harper and Row, 1965.
Bretall, Robert, ed. A Kierkegaard Anthology. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press,
1946.
Buber, Martin. I and Thou. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1970.
Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1975.
Collins, James. Crossroads in Philosophy: Existentialism, Naturalism, and Theistic Realism.
Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1962.
Copleston, Frederick. Contemporary Philosophy: Studies of Logical Positivism and Existentialism.
London: Burns and Oates, 1956.
Dreyfus, Hubert & Mark Wrathall, eds. A Companion to Phenomenology & Existentialism.
Oxford, Blackwell, 2006.
Earnshaw, Steven. Existentialism: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Continuum, 2006.
Gallagher, Kenneth T. The Philosophy of Gabriel Marcel. New York: Fordham University
Press, 1975.
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Kaufman, Walter. Existentialism: From Dostoevsky to Sartre. Revised ed. New York: New
American Library, 1975.
Kaufmann, Walter. Existentialism, Religion and Death: Thirteen Essays. New York: Meridian,
1976.
Macquarrie, John. Existentialism. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 1973.
Marcel, Gabriel. The Philosophy of Existence. London: The Harvill Press, 1948.
Marcel, Gabriel. Creative Fidelity. New York: Crossroad, 1982.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future. Edinburgh: T.
N. Foulis, 1909.
Olson, Robert G. An Introduction to Existentialism. New York: Dover, 1962.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. Existentialism and Humanism. London: Methuen, 1957.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. Being and Nothingness. New York: Washington Square Press, 1966.
Warnock, Mary. Existentialist Ethics. London: Macmillan, 1967.
Wartenberg, Thomas E. Existentialism: A Beginner’s Guide. Oxford: Oneworld, 2008.
Webber, Jonathan Mark. The Existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre. New York: Routeldge, 2009.
卡繆，
《薛西弗斯的神話》，香港：新文化，年份缺。
李天命，《存在主義概論》，香港：大學生活社，1972。
李步樓，《非理性主義與人生》，武漢：湖北人民出版社，1998。
何懷宏，《道德．上帝與人－－陀思妥耶夫斯基的問題》，北京：新華出版社，1999。
勞思光，《存在主義哲學新編》，香港中文大學，1998。
張容，《形而上的反抗－－加繆思想研究》，北京：社會科學文獻出版社，1998。
關永中，《愛、恨與死亡—一個現代哲學的探索》，台灣：商務，1997。
[Revised by Kwan KM]
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