The Transcendence of the Ego: A Sketch for a Phenomenological Description (Routledge Classics (Hardcover))

First published in France in 1937, in The Transcendence of the Ego marks a profound shift in Sartre's philosophy towards existentialism and contains important themes later taken up in his masterpiece Being and Nothingness. Essential reading for.;BOOK-COVER; HALF-TITLE; TITLE; COPYRIGHT; CONTENTS; INTRODUCTION; THE TRANSCENDENCE OF THE EGO; NOTES; INDEX. First published in France in 1936 as a journal article, The Transcendence of the Ego was one of Jean-Paul Sartre's earliest philosophical publications. When it appeared, Sartre was still largely unknown, working as a school teacher in provincial France and struggling to find a publisher for his most famous fictional work, Nausea.

The Transcendence of the Ego is the outcome of Sartre's intense engagement with the philosophy of Edmund Husserl, the founder of phenomenology. Here, as in many subsequent writings, Sartre embraces Husserl's vision of phenomenology as the proper method for philosophy. But he argues that Husserl's conception of the self as an inner entity, 'behind' conscious experience is mistaken and phenomenologically unfounded.

The Transcendence of the Ego offers a brilliant diagnosis of where Husserl went wrong, and a radical alternative account of the self as a product of consciousness, situated in the world.

This essay introduces many of the themes central to Sartre's major work, Being and Nothingness: the nature of consciousness, the problem of self-knowledge, other minds, anguish. It demonstrates their presence and importance in Sartre's thinking from the very outset of his career.

This fresh translation makes this classic work available again to students of Sartre, phenomenology, existentialism, and twentieth century philosophy. It includes a thorough and illuminating introduction by Sarah Richmond, placing Sartre's essay in its philosophical and historical context. The Transcendence of the Ego is one of Jean-Paul Sartre's earliest philosophical publications and essential for understanding the trajectory of his work as a whole. When it first appeared in France in 1937 Sartre was still largely unknown, working as a school teacher in a provincial French town. Attacking prevailing philosophical theories head on, Sartre offers a brilliant and radical account of the self as a product of consciousness, situated in the world. He introduces many of the themes central to his major work, Being and Nothingness: the nature of consciousness, the problem of self-knowledge, other minds, and anguish. This translation includes a thorough and illuminating introduction by Sarah Richmond, placing Sartre's essay in its philosophical and historical context. -- Back cover Humanities BOOK-COVER 1 HALF-TITLE 2 TITLE 3 COPYRIGHT 4 CONTENTS 5 INTRODUCTION 6 THE TRANSCENDENCE OF THE EGO 19 I. THE I AND THE ME 19 (A) The theory of the formal presence of the I 19 (B) The Cogito as reflective consciousness 23 (C) The theory of the material presence of the me 28 II. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE EGO 30 (A) States as transcendent unities of consciousnesses 30 (B) The constitution of actions 33 (C) Qualities as optional unities of states 34 (D) The constitution of the Ego as a pole of actions, states, and qualities 34 (E) The I and consciousness in the Cogito 42 CONCLUSION 42 (1) 43 (2) 46 (3) 47 NOTES 49 INDEX 60 'The Transcendence of the Ego' makes a profound shift in Sartre's philosophy towards existentialism and contains several important themes - intentionality, dualism and self-consciousness - later taken us in his masterpiece 'Being and Nothingness'