"Human, All Too Human" - Neitzsche, Heidegger, Sarte and the creation of Existentialism

Part 1 - Neitzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

Part 2 - Heidegger, Thinking the Unthinkable

Part 3 - Sartre, The Road to Freedom

Human, All Too Human is a well made three part  documentary series by the BBC that examines the life and work of three of the most influential philosophers of the 19th and 20th centuries, who together shaped existentialism. Part 1 covers Friedrich Nietzsche, part 2 covers Martin Heidegger, and part 3 covers Jean-Paul Sartre.

The three episodes make it clear that ideas matter a great deal, by placing the work of Nietzsche, Heidegger and Sartre within the context of the history of the events of the 20th century. It also shows how those ideas can be misrepresented, and usurped, by those whose only interest is the acquisition and maintenance of power, and not the elevation of the human condition or spirit. Heidegger in particular, given his association with the Nazis, provides the most difficult case for consideration in this regard.

Paul Kimball