What will I learn about: how existentialism transformed philosophy from a distant, academic exercise into a practical guide for everyday life and navigating dark times?

Discover how existentialism transformed philosophy from a distant, academic exercise into a practical guide for everyday life and navigating dark times.

What will I learn about: how a simple apricot cocktail inspired Jean-Paul Sartre to reject stale metaphysical questions and found the existentialist movement?

Understand how a simple apricot cocktail inspired Jean-Paul Sartre to reject stale metaphysical questions and found the existentialist movement.

What will I learn about: practice 'epoché,' the suspension of preconceived judgments, allowing you to see everyday phenomena with fresh, illuminating clarity?

Learn how to practice 'epoché,' the suspension of preconceived judgments, allowing you to see everyday phenomena with fresh, illuminating clarity.

What will I learn about: the phenomenological method of deeply and specifically describing firsthand experiences, which yields practical benefits like accurately diagnosing pain?

Master the phenomenological method of deeply and specifically describing firsthand experiences, which yields practical benefits like accurately diagnosing pain.

What will I learn about: Explore Martin Heidegger's concept of 'Dasein,' which shifts philosophy's focus to remind us that we are not detached observers, but beings actively existing in the world?

Explore Martin Heidegger's concept of 'Dasein,' which shifts philosophy's focus to remind us that we are not detached observers, but beings actively existing in the world.

At The Existentialist Café

Freedom, Being and Apricot Cocktails

Sarah Bakewell

★ 4.6 / 5(230 ratings)

Start ListeningDownload QR code that opens AudiobookHub on the App Store

Try free on iPhoneScan to start in 5 seconds

Categories:

Philosophy

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡How did a simple apricot cocktail in a 1930s Parisian bar lead Jean-Paul Sartre to reject centuries of traditional philosophy and birth the existentialist movement?
💡In what ways do we act in 'bad faith' to escape the terrifying burden of our own freedom, much like Sartre's famous example of the exaggerated Parisian waiter?
💡How did Simone de Beauvoir adapt existentialist concepts and Hegel's 'master-slave' dynamic to expose the ways society conditions women to view themselves as objects rather than free subjects?

Listen to At The Existentialist Café — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from At The Existentialist Café

✓Discover how existentialism transformed philosophy from a distant, academic exercise into a practical guide for everyday life and navigating dark times.
✓Understand how a simple apricot cocktail inspired Jean-Paul Sartre to reject stale metaphysical questions and found the existentialist movement.
✓Learn how to practice 'epoché,' the suspension of preconceived judgments, allowing you to see everyday phenomena with fresh, illuminating clarity.
✓Master the phenomenological method of deeply and specifically describing firsthand experiences, which yields practical benefits like accurately diagnosing pain.
✓Explore Martin Heidegger's concept of 'Dasein,' which shifts philosophy's focus to remind us that we are not detached observers, but beings actively existing in the world.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from At The Existentialist Café

Mind Map

At The Existentialist Café

Origins and Influences+

Core Existentialist Concepts+

Philosophy as Lived Experience+

Diverging Paths and Key Works+

Actionable Takeaways+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

What revelation did Raymond Aron share with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir over an apricot cocktail?

A. A new political movement emerging in Berlin
B. A philosophy called phenomenology that studies real, everyday experiences
C. The philosophical concept that existence precedes essence
D. A radical critique of traditional marriage and relationships

Question 2 of 8

In the context of Edmund Husserl's phenomenology, what does the term 'epoché' mean?

A. The inherent meaninglessness of human existence
B. The anxiety one feels when burdened by absolute freedom
C. Setting aside preconceived notions to observe phenomena clearly
D. The political responsibility of the philosopher in times of war

Question 3 of 8

How did Martin Heidegger believe traditional philosophers had 'put the cart before the horse'?

A. They asked questions about the world without first acknowledging that we have to exist to ask them.
B. They focused on political activism before establishing a solid ethical framework.
C. They analyzed human emotions without understanding the biological mechanisms behind them.
D. They prioritized literary style over rigorous logical arguments.

Question 4 of 8

According to Jean-Paul Sartre, what is the ultimate consequence of the idea that 'existence precedes essence'?

A. Human beings are entirely defined by their biology and cultural history.
B. People are completely free and solely responsible for inventing who they are through their actions.
C. Society must dictate moral laws to prevent individuals from experiencing vertigo.
D. Life has a predetermined meaning that each person must eventually discover.

Question 5 of 8

Why did Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir choose a 'two-year lease' open relationship rather than getting married?

A. They believed marriage meant assuming confining gender roles and went against their ideals of freedom.
B. They wanted to focus entirely on their political activism without the distraction of a permanent bond.
C. The French government at the time heavily taxed married couples.
D. They felt that traditional marriage was too closely tied to the Catholic Church.

Question 6 of 8

In 'Being and Nothingness', how does Sartre use the example of a Parisian waiter to illustrate the concept of 'bad faith'?

A. The waiter accepts poor working conditions because he believes he has no other choice.
B. The waiter plays the role of a waiter so well that he fools himself into thinking he is not a free human being.
C. The waiter steals from his employer to rebel against a capitalist society.
D. The waiter provides terrible service because he resents his customers' wealth.

Question 7 of 8

What was a major philosophical disagreement between Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre?

A. Camus believed humans should rely on religion, while Sartre was a staunch atheist.
B. Camus believed life was inherently absurd and meaningless, while Sartre believed individuals create their own meaning.
C. Camus argued for absolute human freedom, while Sartre believed in biological determinism.
D. Camus supported the execution of Nazi collaborators, while Sartre vehemently opposed it.

Question 8 of 8

What central argument does Simone de Beauvoir make about the experience of women in 'The Second Sex'?

A. Women possess an inherent, natural essence that differs biologically from men.
B. Women are socialized to view themselves as objects through the gaze of men, reducing their agency.
C. Women can only achieve true freedom by completely separating from male-dominated society.
D. The feminist movement must focus primarily on securing equal pay in the workplace.

At The Existentialist Café — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — An apricot cocktail set Jean-Paul Sartre on the path to existentialism.
32 — Freiburg became the center of a new philosophy: phenomenology.
43 — Martin Heidegger was a philosophical giant and a deeply flawed man.
54 — Existentialism explores the burden of freedom and responsibility.
65 — For Sartre and de Beauvoir, existentialism was more than philosophy – it was a way of life.
76 — War disrupted the existentialists’ lives, but it didn’t halt their work.
87 — Postwar France embraced existentialism as something new.
98 — Albert Camus was first a friend, then an opponent of Sartre and de Beauvoir.
109 — Among existentialist works, The Second Sex addressed lived experience most directly.
1110 — Final summary

At The Existentialist Café Summary & Overview

At the Existentialist Café (2016) recounts the birth of existentialism in the early twentieth century. Both a biography and a philosophical text, it tells the stories of individual philosophers as well as their ideas. Above all, it explores how big philosophical questions can illuminate our lives and the way we live them.

Who Should Listen to At The Existentialist Café?

Philosophers who feel that philosophy has lost touch with everyday life
Francophiles looking for insight on their national treasures
Curious observers who want to learn how to look more closely at the world around them

About the Author: Sarah Bakewell

Sarah Bakewell is a writer from Bournemouth, England. She spent her childhood traveling and living in Australia with her parents, before eventually returning to the UK. There, she studied philosophy at the University of Essex and worked as a cataloger and curator of early printed books at London’s Wellcome Library for the History of Medicine. She is the author of four books including The Smart, The English Dane and How To Live: A Life of Montaigne.

At The Existentialist Café

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to At The Existentialist Café — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from At The Existentialist Café

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

At The Existentialist Café — Full Chapter Overview

At The Existentialist Café Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to At The Existentialist Café?

About the Author: Sarah Bakewell

Books Similar to At The Existentialist Café