Summary

As Hitler moved into Czechoslovakia, the existentialists realizes that war would be the enemy of individualism. On Sartre in particular, the effects of war led to a major shift in thinking. He started to become fascinated by the way people could maintain their individual freedom while being swept up in historical movements. He was saved in wartime by his eye problems— his military deployment was in a weather station rather than in combat. Though the station would still be somewhat dangerous, it could not compare to fighting on the front lines.

At this time, Prague grew into another City of Phenomenology, much like Freiburg, Many of Husserl’s papers were in Freiburg, which was close to the French border and vulnerable to being lost in the wartime. Husserl realized that his manuscripts would be of use to future philosophers, emphasizing their sheer volume and...