The Imaginary

First published in 1940, Sartre's The Imaginary is a cornerstone of his philosophy. Sartre had become acquainted with the philosophy of Edmund Husserl in Berlin and was fascinated by his idea of the intentionality of consciousness as a key to the puzzle of existence. Against this background, The Imaginary crystallized Sartre's worldview and artistic vision. Here he presented the first extended examination of the concepts of nothingness and freedom, both of which are derived from the ability of consciousness to imagine objects both as they are and as they are not. These ideas would drive Sartre's existentialism and his entire theory of human freedom, laying the foundation for his masterwork Being and Nothingness three years later. This new translation by Jonathan Webber rectifies flaws in the terminology of the first translation and recaptures the essence of Sartre's phenomenology. Webber's perceptive new introduction helps to decipher this challenging, seminal work, placing it in the context of the author's work and the history of philosophy.

Introduction Notes on the Translation Part One: The Certain The Intentional Structure of the Image I. Description 1. The Method 2. First Characteristic: The Image is a Consciousness 3. Second Characteristic: The Phenomenon of Quasi-Observation 4. Third Characteristic: The Imaging Consciousness Posits its Object as a Nothingness 5. Fourth Characteristic: Spontaneity 6. Conclusion II. The Image Family 1. Image, Portrait, Caricature 2. Sign and Portrait 3. From Sign to Image: Consciousness of Imitations 4. From Sign to Image: Schematic Drawings 5. Faces in the Fire, Spots on Walls, Rocks in Human Form 6. Hypnagogic Images, Scenes and Persons Seen in Coffee Grounds, in a Crystal Ball 7. From Portrait to Mental Image 8. Mental Image Part Two: The Probable Nature of the Analogon in the Mental Image 1. Knowledge 2. Affectivity 3. Movements 4. The Role of the Word in the Mental Image 5. The Mode of Appearance of a Thing in the Mental Image Part Three: The Role of the Image in Psychic Life 1. The Symbol 2. Symbolic Schemas and Illustrations of Thought 3. Image and Thought 4. Image and Perception Part Four: The Imaginary Life 1. The Irreal Object 2. Conduct in the Face of the Irreal 3. Pathology of the Imagination 4. The Dream Conclusion 1. Consciousness and Imagination 2. The Work of Art