Introduction

This chapter explores the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre from the point of view of the question how we are to understand human beings and human reality. It focuses on the project of an anthropology set up by Sartre in his second major philosophical work Critique de la Raison dialectique (CRD). CRD clearly is philosophical in nature, the idea of anthropology expressed there cannot be limited to the idea of a philosophical anthropology in the sense of a general theory of human nature. The investigation in CRD is most concretely set up as a critical investigation of rationality. A ‘hermeneutisation’ of the later Sartre would have the benefits to enable one to emphasise the more fruitful and original parts of his social and historical thinking, while pushing, for example, the Utopian Marxist traits which today appear considerable dated, to the background. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.