The Transcendence of the Ego is one of Jean-Paul Sartre's earliest philosophical
publications and essential for understanding the trajectory of his work as a wh
ole. When it first appeared in France in 1937 Sartre was still largely unknown,
working as a school teacher in a provincial French town. Attacking prevailing ph
ilosophical theories head on, Sartre offers a brilliant and radical account of t
he self as a product of consciousness, situated in the world.
He introduces m
any of the themes central to his major work, Being and Nothingness: the nature o
f consciousness, the problem of self-knowledge, other minds, and anguish. This t
ranslation includes a thorough and illuminating introduction by Sarah Richmond,
placing Sartre's essay in its philosophical and historical context.
