Philosophy; Existentialism

This reading list is a comprehensive deep dive into existentialism and absurdism, tracing their evolution from classic philosophical works to their relevance in 21st-century crises—climate collapse, racial injustice, gender identity, and the failures of late capitalism. For the ambitious self-studier, I think you could split this list into two semester's worth of content over the span of a year.

The first half of the year establishes a foundation with existentialist fiction and philosophy from Sartre, Camus, de Beauvoir, Dostoevsky, and Frankl, exploring alienation, freedom, and the search for meaning. Alongside these canonical texts, critiques from MacIntyre, Taylor, and Crosby challenge existentialism’s individualism and ethical ambiguity, ensuring a rigorous, self-interrogating study.

The second half expands existentialism beyond its European and 20th-century roots, engaging with Black existentialism (Fanon, Baldwin, Wilderson), queer and feminist perspectives (Butler, Muñoz, Federici), and climate existentialism (Hägglund, Wallace-Wells, Tesson). These readings push existentialist questions into urgent modern contexts, asking whether existentialism still holds up in the face of systemic oppression and ecological catastrophe. Interwoven critiques from Marxist, structuralist, and postcolonial perspectives prevent the philosophy from becoming an intellectual dead end.

By the end of the list, you won’t just have read existentialist philosophy—you’ll have tested it, applied it, and examined its relevance to contemporary struggles. This is more than a reading list; it’s an opportunity to engage deeply with existentialist thought as a living, evolving framework for navigating meaning, responsibility, and resistance in an uncertain world.