Emmanuel Mounier and Atheistic Existentialism: the Debate Surrounding Intersubjectivity and Death

Abstract

This study is motivated by the debate surrounding the idea of man from the standpoint of atheistic existentialism in contrast to the thinking of Emmanuel Mounier. The authors regard Heidegger and Sartre as the philosophers most representative of atheistic existentialism. Two positions put forth by Heidegger and Sartre constitute the basis for this study; namely, the idea of man as a being destined to die, and the idea of self-affi rmation at the expense of others. The authors believe Mounier can provide a way to overcome the hostile environment that prevails on the anthropological horizon of atheistic existentialism, precisely by recovering the other through love and “going out of self”.