The Transcendence of the Ego: An Existentialist Theory of Consciousness

by Jean-Paul Sartre

Book Overview

First published in France in 1937, this important essay marked a turning point in Sartre's philosophical development. Before writing it, he had been closely allied with phenomenologists such as Husserl and Heidegger. Here, however, Sartre attacked Husserl's notion of a transcendental ego. The break with Husserl, in turn, facilitated Sartre's transition from phenomenology to the existentialist doctrines of his masterwork, Being and Nothingness,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809015455
• ISBN13: 9780809015450
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux-3pl
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The turning point in the thought of Sartre

The Transcendence of the Ego is Sartre's refutation and response to the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl and his idea that a transcendental ego stands behind consciousness. Reading Being and Nothingness is tremendously aided by this short work, and the thought inside is tremendously exciting, because Sartre refutes solipsism and finally brings consciousness outside into the world. This book is highly recommended to those interested in Existentialist Philosophy.

An Existential Classic

The Transendence of the Ego is the heart and soul of Sartre's philosopy. It is a classic and a must for anyone who wants to delve deeper in his/her understanding of Sartre's other philosophical views. It is a wonderful thesis, more or less an expanded introduction to Being and Nothingness.