This episode begins with a scene from Sartre's play The Devil and the Good Lord in which a priest and a layman debate on the existence of God. Then Dr. Hazel Barnes appears to discuss man's forlornness and despair when he has rejected the idea of the existence of God. Other scenes from The Devil and The Good Lord and The Flies (also by Sartre) illustrate some problems that face existential atheists: Is man free from the absolute if God does not exist? If God does not exist to provide a moral code, is man then permitted everything? Sartre, says Dr. Barnes, was among the first to explore at length the moral implications of atheism. In the scenes from these plays, for which she provides introductions and explanations, these implications are presented dramatically and effectively. (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)
