Existentialist Philosophy Staff Requirement Proposal

Proposed by: Jean-Paul Sartre (sartre@trenchwars.org)
Submitted 2/26/05

Proposal category: Executive
Type of proposition: Independent

	I propose everyone on Trench Wars staff form study groups to read my rather famous novel, as translated to English, “No Excuses: Being and Nothingness.”  It is only through the understanding of ourselves and, as Heidegger puts it, of our existence as authentic individuals that we can truly begin to live.

Problem statement

-	Staff has no philosophical compass.
	There is a distinct lack of philosophical questioning among members of the Trench Wars staff.  They seem to be disinterested in the subjective but very true reality that phenomenology attempts to capture, and are all too willing to ignore the meaning modern existence in the face of the absurd.  Their resistance to take responsibility for their own choices breeds an almost nihilistic belief in the lack of free will, presupposing any ability to live and so resigning to die before it has even begun.
	I intend to solve this problem by demanding more attention being paid to philosophy on a daily basis, particularly by members of upper staff.
-	Existentialism is still misunderstood by almost all ERs.
	92% of all ERs polled failed to convey an accurate description of what existentialism really is.
	ERs in particular will need to concentrate particularly hard to absorb the nuances of existentialist thought, examining the works of Camus, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and of course, me.

Description

We will begin studying existentialism every day, starting at the origins and eventually coming to the most recent works.  I, Jean-Paul Sartre, will oversee this process.  A curriculum will be included in the full proposal.
Five college credits shall be awarded through the University of Pretension every three months to all participants.
Those who do not to participate shall be fired without warning.

Tasks

Description	Contributor	ETC	
Creating curriculum	Sartre	1 wk	
Writing philosophical primer	Nietzsche	3 wks	
Writing study material: Existentialist philosophy in literature, the virtue of suffering, and the problem of nihilism in brief	Dostoevsky	3 wk	
Life is one giant toilet, An Essay in the Third Person (supporting material)	Kafka	2 days	

			

Required Resources

Resource description	Estimated hrs. of work	
Staff must agree to read all required material	12 / week	
Staff must agree to participate in all study groups or be axed	5 / week	

		

		

Co-signers

The following individuals hereby pledge as co-signers their complete support to the preceding proposal in placing or agreeing to have placed their primary SubSpace name, primary email address and date below.  Those who are members of Trench Wars staff have SS names listed in italics.  All who place their primary SS name, email and date of signing below do so with the understanding that knowing forgery of any kind will remove their right to create or co-sign any future proposals, completely invalidate this proposal, and will without question result in a ban from the Trench Wars server and if applicable, their dismissal from Trench Wars Staff.

	Primary SS Alias		Email					Date Added
	Sandra Bullock		insipid-trollop@hotmail.com		2/11/05
	Michael Bolton		sweetcouple@netzero.com		2/13/05
	Noam Chomsky		hotravr4u269@aol.com		2/1/05
	qan				d@gmail.com				2/22/05
	Don Paul Fartre		fartre@trenchwars.org		2/25/05