From Kant to Ĺevi-Strauss : The Background to Contemporary Critical Theory

An accessible basic guide to critical post-Enlightenment European thinking, this book introduces fifteen key figures in modern Western philosophy. The intellectual tradition covered is broadly the Continental philosophy and theory that has had a significant impact on many theoretical innovations in the humanities and social sciences. The book covers those thinkers whose work serves as the background for many contemporary thinkers such as Derrida, Foucault and Habermas. There are individual chapters on Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Weber, Freud, Lukàcs, Adorno and Horkheimer, Husserl, Heidegger, Gadamer, Wittgenstein, Arendt, and Lévi-Strauss. Each chapter offers contextualization, explains major concepts and the thinker ́s relevance to an ongoing tradition, and offers suggestions for further reading. Annotation This introductory textbook provides students and other readers with an accessible basic guide to key figures in 'The Tradition of Critique' - critical post-Enlightenment European thinking. The intellectual tradition covered by the book is broadly the Continental philosophy and theory which has had a significant impact on many theoretical innovations in the humanities and social sciences. Yet many students and non-philosophers have little understanding of the tradition on which such thinking draws. The book therefore covers those thinkers whose work serves as the background for many contemporary thinkers such as Derrida, Foucault and Habermas.There are individual chapters on: Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Weber, Freud, Lukacs, Adorno and Horkheimer, Husserl, Heidegger, Gadamer, Wittgenstein, Arendt and Levi-Strauss. Each chapter offers some contextualisation, presents and explains key concepts, explains the thinker's relevance to an ongoing tradition and offers suggestions for further reading.The volume provides readers with sufficient background knowledge to study more contemporary theorists whose work draws on, or assumes knowledge of, these earlier or more foundational thinkers. Thus the book is aimed specifically at students and scholars who do not have a philosophical training and who study literary, cultural, social or political theorists who engage with this European intellectual tradition.Features* Introduces 15 key figures in modern Western philosophy* Enables students to study individual thinkers from one handy reference resource* Explains the relevance of philosophical tradition to contemporary thought* Accessible to beginners and non-philosophers* Explains the main ideas and concepts which contemporary thinkers address* Oriented to the philosophical, social and political aspects of the critical tradition Guides you through the key figures in 'The Tradition of Critique' - critical post-Enlightenment European thinkingIntroduces 15 key figures in modern Western philosophyEnables students to study individual thinkers from one handy reference resourceExplains the relevance of philosophical tradition to contemporary thoughtAccessible to beginners and non-philosophersExplains the main ideas and concepts which contemporary thinkers addressOriented to the philosophical, social and political aspects of the critical traditionThe intellectual tradition covered by the book is broadly the Continental philosophy and theory which has had a significant impact on many theoretical innovations in the humanities and social sciences. Yet many students and non-philosophers have little understanding of the tradition on which such thinking draws. The book therefore covers those thinkers whose work serves as the background for many contemporary thinkers such as Derrida, Foucault and Habermas.There are individual chapters on: Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Weber, Freud, Lukacs, Adorno and Horkheimer, Husserl, Heidegger, Gadamer, Wittgenstein, Arendt and Levi-Strauss. Each chapter offers some contextualisation, presents and explains key concepts, explains the thinker's relevance to an ongoing tradition and offers suggestions for further reading.The volume provides readers with sufficient background knowledge to study more contemporary theorists whose work draws on, or assumes knowledge of, these earlier or more foundational thinkers. Thus the book is aimed specifically at students and scholars who do not have a philosophical training and who study literary, cultural, social or political theorists who engage with this European intellectual tradition This introductory textbook provides students and other readers with an accessible basic guide to key figures in 'The Tradition of Critique' -- critical post-Enlightenment European thinking.The intellectual tradition covered by the book is broadly the Continental philosophy and theory which has had a significant impact on many theoretical innovations in the humanities and social sciences. Yet many students and non-philosophers have little understanding of the tradition on which such thinking draws. The book therefore covers those thinkers whose work serves as the background for many contemporary theorists such as Derrida, Foucault and Habermas. Each chapter offers some contextualisation, presents and explains key concepts, explains the thinker's relevance to an ongoing tradition and offers suggestions for further reading. The volume provides readers with sufficient background knowledge to study more contemporary theorists whose work draws on, or assumes knowledge of, these earlier or more foundational thinkers. Thus the book is aimed specifically at students and scholars who do not have a philosophical training and who study literary, cultural, social or political theorists who engage with this European intellectual tradition. Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 8 Notes on Contributors......Page 10 1 Introduction......Page 12 2 Immanuel Kant......Page 28 3 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel......Page 44 4 Karl Marx......Page 61 5 Friedrich Nietzsche......Page 76 6 Max Weber......Page 92 7 Sigmund Freud......Page 108 8 Georg Lukács......Page 124 9 Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer......Page 140 10 Edmund Husserl......Page 157 11 Martin Heidegger......Page 174 12 Hans-Georg Gadamer......Page 192 13 Ludwig Wittgenstein......Page 208 14 Hannah Arendt......Page 224 15 Claude Lévi-Strauss......Page 239 F......Page 255 M......Page 256 Z......Page 257 C......Page 258 F......Page 260 H......Page 261 M......Page 262 O......Page 263 R......Page 264 S......Page 265 W......Page 266 Z......Page 267 Aimed at students without philosophical training and who study literary, cultural, social or political theorists engaging with this European intellectual tradition, this textbook is an accessible guide to key figures in "The Tradition of Critique"--Critical post-Enlightenment European thinking This volume offers fourteen introductory essays on key thinkers in a modern European tradition of thought, which is both critical itself and also constitutes the intellectual background for many contemporary critical theorists.