Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails

A book review of At the Existentialist Café

This book was delightful to read. I was honestly blown away, and I’ll recommend it in the future as perhaps one of the best introductions to philosophy.

It is, of course, quite narrow in its scope, but it grips the reader, unlike almost any other more traditional philosophy book. What’s so special about this book is that it doesn’t present existentialism as a list of arguments or beliefs, a collection of abstracted arguments. In part because of Bakewell’s incredible talent as a writer, and in part because of what existentialism is and how it became about, it presents its philosophy embodied in the real world.

Existentialism is told through the history in which it was born. It explores its roots in phenomenology, and how it dealt with a world that seemed about to collapse from WW2 and later the Cold War.

The book largely revolves around Satre and Beauvoir but includes many other figures that helped shape both phenomenology and existentialism, like Husserl, Heidegger, Camus, Jaspers, and Merleua-Ponty. I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of focus in early existentialists like Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, and Nietzsche, but it makes sense in how the book is trying to approach the topic, and I was surprised to find other thinkers that I never heard before, like Raymond Aron, Brentano, and Patočka.

Much of it is written in a biographical format, following the lives of the thinkers mentioned. The philosophy is explained through their struggles and the cultural climate of the time. Something that I particularly enjoyed was the emphasis on human connection between them, many times rooted in their philosophy and how they viewed the world. From having hours-long conversations in Paris’ cafés on the meaning of life to their endless disputes. Marcel punched Satre, Satre fell out with Camus, Camus fell out with Ponty, and Ponty fell out with Satre. Oh, and Camus was punched in the face at some point. It certainly has its drama element, but it’s the best kind there is.

If you want to learn about existentialism or even just the early 20th-century history, this book is a must-read. You will embark on a journey of geniuses struggling with human existence, making sense of a bizarre world in flames, freedom, and responsibility.

Something that I took away from this book that I will likely forever carry with me is how limited of a view it is to regard philosophy in terms of concepts and ideas. While they are of course fundamental, Bakewell showed me the importance of situating them in their historical context, and the biography and personality of its thinkers. Without it, it seems that my understanding lacks depth. Which then makes me question how much I truly know of any given philosophical school.

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I also have a philosophy podcast. If you want to check it out look for Anagoge Podcast.

Tiago V.F.