PHIL 375 Final
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McGill University *
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Course
375
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
Pages
3
Uploaded by MinisterNeutron23404
1
MCGILL
UNIVERSITY
-
FACULTY
OF
ARTS
PHILOSOPHY-375-
EXISTENTIALISM
FINAL
EXAM
-
PREPARATION
SHEET
Professor Buckley; Ms. Hoffmann; Ms. Xie
Date of Exam: December 13, 2023; Time: 3 hours (2:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.)
Composition: The exam will have four parts; all four parts are of equal value (each part is worth
25% of the total grade of the exam).
Part One
(Part One Hint: Comparative on Kierkegaard and
Nietzsche)
Instructions
: Answer one
(1) question. At the exam, you will have a choice from two of the following
four questions.
1.
Compare Kierkegaard's "stages" OR Nietzsche’s “metamorphoses” with Hegel's view of
art, religion, and philosophy. What are the consequences of these views for the nature and
role of philosophy?
2.
Compare and contrast Kierkegaard's figure of the knight of faith and Nietzsche's figure of
the free spirit (the 'child' of the three metamorphoses). What might be similar between
these two figures, and how do they differ in important ways? In light of their differences,
which figure presents a more compelling model of a way to live an authentically meaningful
life in a world where God is either 'dead' or an 'objective uncertainty'?
3.
At first glance, Nietzsche's emphasis on creativity, on giving style to one's character, and
on being the author of one's life story would seem to put his thinking within what
Kierkegaard calls the “aesthetic” stage or sphere of life. In what respects is this accurate,
and in what ways might it be challenged? Is there a way to be the sort of artistically
creative, self-styled person that Nietzsche praises from within one of the other
stages/spheres of life that Kierkegaard describes?
4.
Consider Kierkegaard's critique of “Christendom” in relation to Nietzsche's critique of
Christianity. In what respects do their critiques differ? What would both thinkers agree on
concerning organized religion in the Europe of their times? How do both critiques relate to
these thinkers' ideas of “the public” and “the herd”, respectively?
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Part Two
(hint – Existentialism, Community, Ethics)
Instructions
: Answer one
(1) question. At the exam, you will have a choice from two of the following
questions:
1.
At times, Nietzsche seems to be calling for a culture of
Übermenschen
. At other times, it seems
that his thought is directed solely at the individual, and that any "egalitarian" notion of society
necessarily implies "pity" for the weak and works against the "master morality" of the
Übermensch
. Is Nietzsche's philosophy applicable to society as a whole, or is it a call to the
individual to struggle against the necessarily inauthentic aspects of social life?
2.
Explain Sartre's intention in the following statement: "And when we say that a man is
responsible for himself, we not only mean that he is responsible for his own individuality, but
he is responsible for all men." (as translated in our text)..
3.
Nietzsche is often accused of being a "nihilist." Why could a reader claim this to be the case
and what would Nietzsche say in his defence?
4.
For Kierkegaard, the movement towards “faith” requires the “teleological suspension of the
ethical.” Explain this claim and take a stance on what this means for an “existentialist” ethics.
Part Three
(hint – Sartre and/or Camus)
Instructions
: Answer one
(1) question on Sartre and/or Camus. At the exam, you will have a choice
from two of the following questions:
1.
Explain the relationship between freedom and facticity in Sartre. Does facticity limit existential
freedom? How does Camus’ “Sisyphus” fit into a response to this question?
2.
Explain the implications of Sartre's claim that existence precedes essence for conceptions of
human freedom and responsibility.
3.
Explain the Sartrean notion of "bad faith." How is such a characterization possible within his
existential philosophy?
4.
Why does Camus think that “reason” is “absurd?”
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Part Four
(hint: the “style” and implications of existential
philosophy
Instructions
: Answer one
(1) of the following questions. All five of these questions will appear on the
exam:
1.
Existentialism is sometimes viewed (by some benignly, by some quite harshly) as a
“literary” movement rather than a philosophical system. Why might literature be an
appropriate vehicle for existential philosophy, and what does this say about the existentialist
approach to "philosophy" as a discipline? Be specific (that is, refer to at least one of
Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre).
2.
How is it that a "theistic" thinker such as Kierkegaard (according to Sartre) can also be
identified as a proponent of a philosophy which stresses the primacy of human existence?
What does this say about Kierkegaard’s notion of God?
3.
At one point Camus says that "if the world were clear, art would not exist." Taking at least
one other author we have studied this year as a point of departure, explain why there
seems to be an important role for "art" within existentialist philosophy.
4.
Existentialist thought often has a reputation for being 'dated' or 'of its time' and no longer
applicable today. Discuss how some of the ideas of the various thinkers considered
throughout this course might in fact still be 'applicable' insofar as they relate to or make
sense of life today, whether “current events”, or common ways in which individuals exist in
their day-to-day lives, or your own life. Depending on which ideas and which aspects of
'contemporary life' you choose to discuss, you might also want to consider whether these
ideas are only, or mainly, applicable to a Western(ized) way of living, or whether they are
applicable cross-culturally.
5.
Ivan Ilyitch's last words include "Death is finished; it is no more." What do these words
mean from an existentialist perspective (refer to at least one philosopher studied in the
course)? How is it that “limits” form an integral aspect of human existence (again, refer
specifically to at least one philosopher studied in the course)?
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