This introduction to the revolutionary work of Husserl, Heidegger and Sartre studies the ideas of their predecessors too, explaining in detail Descartes's conception of the mind, Brentano's theory of intentionality, and Kierkegaard's emphasis on dread, while tracing the debate over existence and essence as far back as Aquinas and Aristotle.

For a full understanding of the existentialists and phenomenologists, we must also understand the problems that they were trying to solve. This book, originally published in 1984, presents clearly how the main concerns of phenomenology and existentialism grew out of tradition.

Preface Part 1: The Background 1. Descartes: A New Conception of the Mind 2. Brentano: The Thesis of Intentionality 3. Kierkegaard: A Different Conception of Man Part 2: Edmund Husserl: The Problem of Knowledge 4. The Distinction Between Particulars and Universals 5. Husserl's Early View on Numbers 6. Husserl's Distinction Between Essences and Their Instances 7. Husserl's Distinction Between Individuals and Their Aspects 8. The Phenomenological Method Part 3: Martin Heidegger: The Meaning of Being 9. Heidegger's Project 10. Modes of Being 11. The Nature of Existence Part 4: Jean-Paul Sartre: The Quest for Freedom 12. The Structure of Mind 13. The Origin of Nothingness 14. The Pliancy of the Past