Simon Critchley 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.

Preliminaries; Contents; List of Illustrations; Preface; 1 The Gap between Knowledge and Wisdom; 2 Origins of Continental Philosophy; 3 Spectacles and Eyes to See With; 4 Can Philosophy Change the World?; 5 What is to be Done? How to respond to nihilism; 6 A Case Study in Misunderstanding; 7 Scientism versus Obscurantism; 8 Sapere aude; Appendix: System-Programme; References; Further Reading; Index.