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Continental Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

by Simon Critchley (Author) "Philosophy is the love of wisdom ..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Simon Critchley's Very Short Introduction shows that Continental philosophy encompasses a distinct set of philosophical traditions and practices, with a compelling range of problems all too often ignored by the analytic tradition. He discusses the ideas and approaches of philosophers such as Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Habermas, Foucault, and Derrida, and introduces key concepts such as existentialism, nihilism, and phenomenology by explaining their place in the Continental tradition.


About the Author

Simon Critchley is Reader in Philosophy at Essex and Directeur de Programme at the Collège International de Philosophie, Paris. He is author of The Ethics of Deconstruction (Blackwell, 1992), Very Little Almost Nothing (Routledge, 1997), and Ethics, Politics, Subjectivity (Verso, 1998), and has also edited a number of collections, including the Blackwell Companion to Continental Philosophy.
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4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best first text, 23 Jul 2002
By Simon (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
I have read other introductions to continental philosophy by Robert Solomon and David West. These are both very good but this book sets itself apart by the engaging way in which it is written and is a better first text than these two for that reason. The book is illuminated by a very personal, characterful, style, without sacrificing clarity and rigour. As you read it, you can almost imagine Critchley talking to you face-to-face. Critchley doesn't attempt to provide a summary of the thoughts of the major continental philosophers - as do Solomon and West - but instead looks, among other things, at how continental philosophy can be contrasted with analytical philosophy. This book is therefore almost an introduction to analytical philosophy too. The relevance and fascination of the subject is brought sharply into focus. The comprehensive references/bibliography will point you in the right direction if you wish to pursue the ideas further. If your enthusiasm for continental philosophy is in need of renewal or has yet to develop then this is the book for you!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A short discourse, 20 Dec 2003
By Kurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (London, SW1) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Part of a series by Oxford University Press, this book, 'Continental Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction', follows the same format as other texts in the Very Short Introduction series -- it has fewer than 150 pages, is well indexed, accessible and interesting narrative, and captures the essence in a very short space the major points of its topic. There are probably nearing 100 volumes in this Very Short Introduction series (making it, ironically, not a Very Short series), but among those that I have read, this text stands out as being one of the best.

Simon Critchley is Reader in Philosophy at the University of Essex and Directeur de Programme at the College International de Philosophie, Paris. He is well versed in Continental Philosophy, particularly as it diverges from British and North American developments in philosophy. The text here begins (more or less) with Kant, and goes forward to the twentieth century, dominated also by German and French thinkers.

Critchley argues, in fact, there is no unified, systematic body of work one should call 'Continental Philosophy', but rather that it consists of eclectic and divergent voices bound sometimes by little more than geographic proximity. That having been said, Critchley does work through some major strands and commonalities of approach, or at the very least some vision of the progress of philosophy from one to the other, influences and reactions.

In all, this text is a good read, but given its presupposition about the state of philosophical knowledge on the part of the reader, this should not be assumed to be a first text (in the more traditional sense that 'introduction' seems to imply). It helps here if one already knows the major positions of the major philosophers (and wouldn't hurt if one already knew what thinkers like Derrida also thought of them).

Like other books in this Very Short series, there are occasional graphics and pictures, and suggestions for further reading, should the Very Short introduction not prove sufficient (and for many, this sample will leave the reader wanting more). I cannot speak too highly of this series. This particular volume, however, is to a certain extent what it says it is, too precisely -- it is not an introduction (however long) to philosophy, but rather presupposes some familiarity with philosophy, and looks at the advent or introduction of what turned out to be the major themes in Continental Philosophy.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An unusual, enlightening overview of continental philosophy, 8 Jul 2001
By A Customer
Simon Critchley offers a stimulating and pretty clear overview of the continental philosophical tradition by comparing and contrasting it with analytic philosophy. His conclusion is that there is a danger in the extremities of both traditions ('scientism' and 'obscurantism'), and positive gains by looking at their strengths. He suggests a return to what I would call 'philosophical basics'-the questions of 'What is justice?' 'What is the meaning of life', etc. This book implies that the essence of philosophy is a questioning attitude towards our preconceived experiences, ideas and values, with the view for 'emancipatory effect'. As a therapist with a philosophical bent (particularly a continental one with an interest in 'authenticity') it was nice to read a book by someone known as a continental philosopher who returns to the big quesitons and steps outside any rigid label.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful and enjoyable overview
This is a great little book that explains the reasons why post Kantian Western philosophy appeared to go in to divergent directions which ceased to communicate with one another... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Worcesterpearmain

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just an introduction but a taster...
Simon Critchley's short introduction reads like a pamphlet. It is an excellent little book that gives you a taste of Continental Philosophy. Read more
Published 18 months ago by N. A. Bakhshov

3.0 out of 5 stars This introduction needs an introduction
Nicely written - in an 'over a dinner conversational' style. This book however does seem to assume that you already know quite a bit about philosophy. Read more
Published on 12 Sep 2007 by C. Chalk

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