Our focus thus far has been primarily on philosophers who lived before the twentieth century and almost exclusively on male philosophers at that. But the 20th century gave rise to several new developments in philosophy--not least of which Existentialism--and it is in the context of this revolution in western philosophy that women begin to claim a greater voice in philosophy's ongoing conversation.

Because Existentialism focuses especially on  the immediate experience of actually existing individuals--not just abstract ideas and systems--it is especially interested in the choices people make and the way we choose. In short, it's interested in ethics.

Among the women in philosophy who made  profound contributions to this discussion were Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt, and Simone Weil. This assignment has you reading a little bit about and a little of each of these women's thinking and then answering two thoughts questions after each snippet of text. There will be a total of ten pages of reading and six questions, so set aside at least an hour to do this assignment.