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Critchley discusses the ideas and approaches of philosophers such as Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and Husserl, and introduces key concepts such as existentialism, nihilism, and phenomenology by explaining their place in the continental tradition.
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LibraryThing member iwpoe
This book is very good overview of the history and origin of the continental tradition with an inspiring vision of continental thought in action. It reaches a high point in chapter 6 with an apology for continental philosophy in the court of analytical rigor. The books only glaring flaw lies in
Also, Marxist, Psychoanalytic, and twentieth century French thought receives very little narrative attention despite their obvious importance to contemporary academic discourse. Žižek, Althusser, and the rest of the new "postmodern" motley crew doesn’t even receive a passing mention. Instead, this book is heavy with (non-Marx) Germans: Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Husserl, and especially Heidegger who serve as the central axis around which everything turns.
From time to time Critchley comes off a self-hating continental philosopher. For example, he fears both obscurantist tendencies in the field and the immanent end of the field in its entirety. After praising, clarifying, defending, and employing continental philosophy’s method of getting at issues through authors and contexts (as opposed to disembodied arguments of the now delivered as intuitions from the gods of logic) he blames the very same method for stifling originality. Go figure! This disharmony is probably aided by Chritchley's having compiled the book from prior works. And, of course, what is a good journey through German thought without self-hatred and eschatology?
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Critchley's own vision of philosophy’s proper character- a rather dour and chained down phenomenology. As with everything I find unfortunate in the philosophical discourse of the last one hundred years, I blame England.Also, Marxist, Psychoanalytic, and twentieth century French thought receives very little narrative attention despite their obvious importance to contemporary academic discourse. Žižek, Althusser, and the rest of the new "postmodern" motley crew doesn’t even receive a passing mention. Instead, this book is heavy with (non-Marx) Germans: Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Husserl, and especially Heidegger who serve as the central axis around which everything turns.
From time to time Critchley comes off a self-hating continental philosopher. For example, he fears both obscurantist tendencies in the field and the immanent end of the field in its entirety. After praising, clarifying, defending, and employing continental philosophy’s method of getting at issues through authors and contexts (as opposed to disembodied arguments of the now delivered as intuitions from the gods of logic) he blames the very same method for stifling originality. Go figure! This disharmony is probably aided by Chritchley's having compiled the book from prior works. And, of course, what is a good journey through German thought without self-hatred and eschatology?
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LibraryThing member b.masonjudy
Critchley's introduction to continental philosophy is superb if, like me, you have a vague understanding of some philosophical concepts but no working framework to orient yourself. The book focuses primarily on distinguishing continental philosophy from analytic philosophy and Critchley's
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foregrounds this text as essay, rather than trying to masquerade as an objective historical overview. Show Less
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Original publication date
2001