Existentialism’s appeal rested on a world of sin, love, and politics.
Evidence
As pointed out by Iris Murdoch, the country’s first populariser of the topic, the English were used to ideas that emerged from a world in which ‘people play cricket, cook cakes, make simple decisions, remember their childhood and go to the circus’, whereas the existentialists came from a world in which people commit great sins, fall in love, and join the Communist Party. As the 1950s went on, however, English youngsters found that sin and politics could indeed be more fun than cakes. — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 900
Categorization
- SEED: Potential essay angle: why mundane national cultures resist philosophical movements premised on extremity — the ‘cricket’ test for which ideas transplant.
- CANDY: “Sin and politics could indeed be more fun than cakes” is a delightful summary of why existentialism took hold in England.
- XREF: connects to: Post-war existentialism thrived on the excitement of a shattered world — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café: Freedom,…, 529; Existentialist philosophy was shaped by the wars and politics of the European century — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café: Freedom,…, 103; Faith offers existential meaning that transcends suffering and death. — Leo Tolstoy, A Confession, 130 (+2 more)
Broader Connections
- Existentialist philosophy was shaped by the wars and politics of the European century
#expands(0.78) — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 103 - Existentialism directly fueled the rights movements of mid-century
#expands(0.75) — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 889 - Faith offers existential meaning that transcends suffering and death.
#qualifies(0.72) — Leo Tolstoy, A Confession, 130 - Existentialism can be traced to a mood found across millennia of troubled thinkers
#expands(0.70) — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 7