Sartre and his Predecessors

This study, first published in 1984, presents an explanation and critical examination of the theories of Sartre, Heidegger, Husserl and Hegel on the fundamental relationships between persons. It also synthesizes the results into a new conception of ones relation to other people. Sartres famous discussion of the Look in his early treatise, Being and Nothingness, is the point of departure and central text. Since Sartre critically responds to his three famous predecessors, these thinkers are given an independent hearing. The book demonstrates various ways in which persons are internally related to one another, shows that ones access to other people typically does not compare unfavourably with ones access to oneself, and establishes the importance of a prior comprehension of the status of other people for an adequate treatment of knowing them.