Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20160411 | Paris, 1933: Three contemporaries meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are the young Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and longtime friend Raymond Aron, a fellow philosopher who raves to them about a new conceptual framework from Berlin called Phenomenology. 'You see,' he says, 'if you are a phenomenologist you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy out of it! It was this simple phrase that ignited a movement, inspiring Sartre to integrate Phenomenology into his own French, humanistic sensibility, creating an entirely new philosophical approach inspired by themes of radical freedom, authentic being and political activism. This movement swept through the jazz clubs and caf退s of the Left Bank before making its way across the world as Existentialism. Featuring philosophers, playwrights, anthropologists, convicts and revolutionaries, At the Existentialist Caf退 follows the existentialists' story - from the first rebellious spark through the Second World War, to its role in postwar liberation movements such as anticolonialism, feminism, and gay rights. Interweaving biography and philosophy, this is an epic account of passionate encounters - fights, love affairs, mentorships, rebellions, and long partnership. It's also an investigation into what the existentialists have to offer us today - at a moment when we are once again confronting the major questions of freedom, global responsibility and human authenticity in a fractious and technology-driven world. Written by Sarah Bakewell Read by Sasha Behar Three French philosophers discover phenomenology and make philosophy from apricot cocktail |
| 02 | 20160412 | Paris, 1933: Three contemporaries meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are the young Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and longtime friend Raymond Aron, a fellow philosopher who raves to them about a new conceptual framework from Berlin called Phenomenology. 'You see,' he says, 'if you are a phenomenologist you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy out of it! It was this simple phrase that ignited a movement, inspiring Sartre to integrate Phenomenology into his own French, humanistic sensibility, creating an entirely new philosophical approach inspired by themes of radical freedom, authentic being and political activism. This movement swept through the jazz clubs and caf退s of the Left Bank before making its way across the world as Existentialism. Featuring philosophers, playwrights, anthropologists, convicts and revolutionaries, At the Existentialist Caf退 follows the existentialists' story - from the first rebellious spark through the Second World War, to its role in postwar liberation movements such as anticolonialism, feminism, and gay rights. Interweaving biography and philosophy, this is an epic account of passionate encounters - fights, love affairs, mentorships, rebellions, and long partnership. It's also an investigation into what the existentialists have to offer us today - at a moment when we are once again confronting the major questions of freedom, global responsibility and human authenticity in a fractious and technology-driven world. Written by Sarah Bakewell Read by Sasha Behar Phenomenology is born when Edmund Husserl urges engagement with a world of real experience |
| 03 | 20160413 | Paris, 1933: Three contemporaries meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are the young Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and longtime friend Raymond Aron, a fellow philosopher who raves to them about a new conceptual framework from Berlin called Phenomenology. 'You see,' he says, 'if you are a phenomenologist you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy out of it! It was this simple phrase that ignited a movement, inspiring Sartre to integrate Phenomenology into his own French, humanistic sensibility, creating an entirely new philosophical approach inspired by themes of radical freedom, authentic being and political activism. This movement swept through the jazz clubs and caf退s of the Left Bank before making its way across the world as Existentialism. Featuring philosophers, playwrights, anthropologists, convicts and revolutionaries, At the Existentialist Caf退 follows the existentialists' story - from the first rebellious spark through the Second World War, to its role in postwar liberation movements such as anticolonialism, feminism, and gay rights. Interweaving biography and philosophy, this is an epic account of passionate encounters - fights, love affairs, mentorships, rebellions, and long partnership. It's also an investigation into what the existentialists have to offer us today - at a moment when we are once again confronting the major questions of freedom, global responsibility and human authenticity in a fractious and technology-driven world. Written by Sarah Bakewell Read by Sasha Behar The philosophical world is enchanted by Martin Heidegger, but it does not last long. |
| 04 | 20160414 | Paris, 1933: Three contemporaries meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are the young Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and longtime friend Raymond Aron, a fellow philosopher who raves to them about a new conceptual framework from Berlin called Phenomenology. 'You see,' he says, 'if you are a phenomenologist you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy out of it! It was this simple phrase that ignited a movement, inspiring Sartre to integrate Phenomenology into his own French, humanistic sensibility, creating an entirely new philosophical approach inspired by themes of radical freedom, authentic being and political activism. This movement swept through the jazz clubs and caf退s of the Left Bank before making its way across the world as Existentialism. Featuring philosophers, playwrights, anthropologists, convicts and revolutionaries, At the Existentialist Caf退 follows the existentialists' story - from the first rebellious spark through the Second World War, to its role in postwar liberation movements such as anticolonialism, feminism, and gay rights. Interweaving biography and philosophy, this is an epic account of passionate encounters - fights, love affairs, mentorships, rebellions, and long partnership. It's also an investigation into what the existentialists have to offer us today - at a moment when we are once again confronting the major questions of freedom, global responsibility and human authenticity in a fractious and technology-driven world. Written by Sarah Bakewell Read by Sasha Behar Sartre and de Beauvoir's extraordinary 50-year relationship was existentialism in practice |
| 05 LAST | 20160415 | Paris, 1933: Three contemporaries meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are the young Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and longtime friend Raymond Aron, a fellow philosopher who raves to them about a new conceptual framework from Berlin called Phenomenology. 'You see,' he says, 'if you are a phenomenologist you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy out of it! It was this simple phrase that ignited a movement, inspiring Sartre to integrate Phenomenology into his own French, humanistic sensibility, creating an entirely new philosophical approach inspired by themes of radical freedom, authentic being and political activism. This movement swept through the jazz clubs and caf退s of the Left Bank before making its way across the world as Existentialism. Featuring philosophers, playwrights, anthropologists, convicts and revolutionaries, At the Existentialist Caf退 follows the existentialists' story - from the first rebellious spark through the Second World War, to its role in postwar liberation movements such as anticolonialism, feminism, and gay rights. Interweaving biography and philosophy, this is an epic account of passionate encounters - fights, love affairs, mentorships, rebellions, and long partnership. It's also an investigation into what the existentialists have to offer us today - at a moment when we are once again confronting the major questions of freedom, global responsibility and human authenticity in a fractious and technology-driven world. Written by Sarah Bakewell Read by Sasha Behar Why existentialism matters more than ever in the 21st century. |