How does man react to the knowledge that he must die? Most usually, says Dr. Barnes, he admits that other men must die but does not relate death to himself, until he becomes ill or faces grave danger. To avoid being nothing we strive to be all. It is this that pushes us towards creativity; it is the hope of achieving something lasting that will provide us with a continuing existence after our death. (Horace: I shall build me a monument more lasting than stone. Shakespeare: So long as men shall breathe and eyes shall see, So long lives this and this gives life to thee.) Is there truly a life after death? Should one hope for it even though it may not be? If you were offered immortality, would you have the courage to accept it? These points are dramatically illustrated by scenes from Miguel de Unamunos The Madness of Dr. Montarco and Simone de Beauvoirs All Men Aare Mortal. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche) Self Encounter is a series designed to explain and illustrate the most important principles of existential philosophy, and the implications of their application to everyday life and problems. The title suggests the two themes of the series: one, an explanation of the existential thesis that man must meet and recognize himself honestly, without recourse to myths or vain or supernatural hopes; two, the attempt to draw each viewer of the series into a closer and more careful understanding of himself. The technique used to clarify these themes is a combination of lecture and drama. Dr. Hazel E. Barnes, professor of classics at the University of Colorado and a noted student of existential philosophy, is the host for the series. She describes, in a direct, almost lecture style, the themes and topics most important to an understanding of existentialism. Her comments alternate with scenes from plays or novels by noted authors whose work reflect, or explain, existentialism; these dramatizations, performed by students at the University of Colorado, do much to clarify the material Dr. Barnes has been discussing. The series was produced by KRMA-TV, Denver. The 10 half-hour episodes that comprise this series were originally recorded on videotape. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
