The Imaginary ─ A Phenomenological Psychology of the Imagination

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.

Jonathan Webber is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Sheffield and a Research Associate of the Forum for European Philosophy. His research interests center on the cross-fertilization of Anglophone and European philosophy of mind and metaphysics. He earned his PhD from University College London with a study of consciousness in Sartre's early works. Arlette Elkaim-Sartre, the author's adopted daughter and literary executor, prepared this revised edition after Sartre's death.