Abstract

The purpose of this study is to present Gabriel Marcel's philosophy as a better solution than atomistic ones are to the contemporary problem of dehumanization generated by the growth of technocracy. Marcel's solution advocates a participatory, contextual approach to things and people. This approach can restore a genuine sense of being with others in the world, a sense that has been lost by many. The loss of this sense is referred to as "a broken world." The regaining of this sense of being a living center within a broader context is "the recuperation of being." ;The study begins with the sociological description of the problem of dehumanization presented by the French legal scholar Jacques Ellul. Ellul views humanity as totally controlled by a growing technocracy. He proposes five criteria for a successful solution to this problem; this dissertation argues that Marcel's diagnosis and solution meet and exceed these criteria. Four chapters are devoted to showing that this is the case. Marcel's philosophy is presented as an intensification at the existential level of a universal spiritual response to contemporary dehumanization. As such, it can have value for a broad spectrum of people, including non-theists; Chapter Five argues for this point. Chapter Six defends the use of fictional characters as case studies. Then, to show the fruitfulness of Marcel's philosophy, the last three chapters are existential case studies of life situations from the novels of Saul Bellow. The lives of these characters provide an independent source of examples that illustrate Marcel's position. Marcel argues that the brokenness of personal worlds is the beginning of a pattern of existential growth. It is the first stage in a movement from dependence on membership in a closed community to independence and finally to a freely-chosen interdependence with the world and others. This growth largely depends on the awareness and exercise of personal freedom, which must be won anew each day. The conclusion is that Marcel's solution responds well to the brokenness of the world and makes it meaningful; it also provides hope for something better