Continental Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy) [Paperback]

Andrew Cutrofello (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415242096 | ISBN-13: 978-0415242097 | Publication Date: August 25, 2005 | Edition: 1

Continental Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction is ideal for students coming to the topic for the first time. It introduces the origins and development of the tradition, tracing it from Kant to the present day. Taking a clear thematic approach, Andrew Cutrofello introduces and assesses continental philosophy’s relation to fundamental questions in philosophy, such as ethics, humanism, phenomenology, politics and metaphysics, centring the book around the following questions:

• What is knowledge?

• What is moral obligation?

• For what should we hope?

• What is ‘man’?

• What is critique?

Andrew Cutrofello’s style is lively and engaging. He also introduces the major as well as the lesser-known thinkers of the continental tradition: from Kant, Mill and Nietzsche and Husserl to Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre Levinas, Bataille and Kristeva.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a well structured, informative and lively account of continental philosophy. It identifies and documents what are certainly some of the key problems for this philosophical tradition. The treatment is at once eminently accessible and thoughtful, never sacrificing complexity for the sake of clarity.
–Brian Elliott, University College Dublin

About the Author

Loyola University of Chicago, USA

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (August 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415242096
• ISBN-13: 978-0415242097
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #945,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great introduction to continental philosophy, June 28, 2006

By 

Lupu Shinge (Seoul, Korea) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Continental Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy) (Hardcover)

Cutrofello, a professor of philosophy at Loyola University, has done a great service for students of philosophy with this book. His guiding premise is that the fundamental problems of continental philosophy, as also of analytic philosophy, develop from out of the various "loose ends" left open by Kant's critical phlosophy and the various failed attempts to "resolve" Kantian dualisms. In this way, Cutrofello is able to connect diverse strands of continental philosophy through a historical and systematic narrative that is illuminating rather than reductive. While sometimes Cutrofello is a bit too schematic, and I sometimes feel as though he gives Spinoza and Nietzsche short shrift, this book is a remarkable resource for anyone who wishes to gain a sense for the "big picture" of continental thought.