Continental Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction

Written by Simon Critchley

Narrated by Stephen Bowlby

In this enlightening Very Short Introduction, Simon Critchley shows us 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. He also introduces key concepts such as existentialism, nihilism, and phenomonology, by explaining their place in the Continental tradition.

The perfect guide for anyone interested in the great philosophers, this volume explains in lucid, straightforward language the split between Continental and Anglo-American philosophy and the importance of acknowledging Continental philosophy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666112962

Simon Critchley

Simon Critchley teaches Philosophy at the New School for Social Research, New York. He is the author of many books including The Faith of the Faithless (Verso, 2012), Impossible Objects (Polity Press, 2011), The Book of Dead Philosophers (Granta, 2008) and The Anarchist Turn (Pluto, 2013).

Reviews for Continental Philosophy

[G A McKee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Simon Critchley is certainly an extremely sophisticated thinker and writer. In this book, he’s a philosopher’s philosopher. I don’t think the intended audience is the “ordinary reasonable person” , but rather other academic philosophers in the ivory tower. I listened to the book mainly because I have one of the author’s books in my hardcopy library - and it’s a favorite: The Book of DEAD Philosophers (First published 2008 by Granta Books, UK). That book is riddled with sardonic humor and pathos, yet is about a subject that affects us all, namely death. His book here, trying to come to grips with, and define what his fellow academics call Continental Philosophy - comes across like an expanded PhD thesis. It demonstrates his encyclopedic knowledge of famous and not so famous philosophers from the 18th century to modern times. Definitely recommended as an audiobook to put you to sleep at night as your mind meanders through an unfamiliar idea’s landscape. It’s written in the “Eye of God” style that I learnt about in high school English class. My take-away from this book - before I nodded off - was the part about the utility of reading biographies of the most influential philosophers, in order to better appreciate their personality, life and times. I pricked my ears up when he mentioned the biography of Ludwig Wittgenstein, by Ray Monk . That book is one of my most memorable reads. He also mentioned reading a biography of Bertram Russell for the same purpose.

[Anna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The author masterfully simplifies a tangled subject but without dumbing it down. He explains the history, showing how we got here and why it makes sense. He also probes into certain ticklish questions that are unresolvable, demonstrating why. The narrator obviously speaks no other languages, and constantly butchers names and quotations, alas. But otherwise a vigorous performance.

[Joseph Daniel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Simon Critchley always enlightens me. Whenever I confront his work, I grow leaps and bounds