Episodes

8 episodes in this season

Dust and Dreams

68 min

Disintegrating This World

64 min

Now Playing

Constantly Risking Absurdity

68 min

The Prospects of Freedom

76 min

A Renaissance of Wonder

68 min

Something to Say about Reality

72 min

Murmur of the Absolute

67 min

No Other End of the World

79 min

Ideas of the 20th Century

TV Series

20261h 8m

DocumentaryTalkWar & Politics

Now playing

Constantly Risking Absurdity

Season 2 · Episode 3 · May 29, 2026

In lecture three, we explore existentialism, which emerged prominently during and after World War II, focusing on its themes of absurdity and meaning in human life. Dr. Bonevac covers key thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Simone de Beauvoir, who argue that existence precedes essence and that individuals must create their own meaning in an inherently meaningless world. The discussion examines critical responses from Saul Bellow and C.S. Lewis, who argue that existentialism artificially isolates individuals from universal moral truths and spiritual dimensions that are inherently known to all humans, suggesting that meaning and purpose are not self-created but discovered through our shared humanity and objective moral order.

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Ideas of the 20th Century

TV Series

20261h 8m

DocumentaryTalkWar & Politics

Now playing

Constantly Risking Absurdity

Season 2 · Episode 3 · May 29, 2026

More details