The question of how to lead a happy and meaningful life has been at the heart of philosophical debate since time immemorial. Today, however, these questions seem to be addressed not by philosophers but self-help gurus, who frantically champion the individual's quest for self-expression and self-realization; the desire to become authentic. Against these new age sophistries, How to Stop Living and Start Worrying tackles the question of 'how to live' by forcing us to explore our troubling relationship with death. For Critchley, philosophy begins with the question of finitude and with his understanding of a key classical theme - that to philosophize is to learn how to die. Learning how to accept both our own and others' mortality as a part of life also raises the question of how to love. Critchley argues that the act of love requires us to give up something of ourselves, to lose control so as to be open to the demands of love. We will never be equal to this demand and so we are brought face to face with our own limitations - one form of which is what Critchley calls our 'originary inauthenticity'. By scrutinizing the very nature of humour, Critchley explores what we need to laugh at ourselves and presents the need to confront the inescapable ridiculousness of life. Reflecting on the work of over 20 years, this book provides a unique, witty and erudite introduction to the thought of Simon Critchley. It includes a revealing biographical conversation with Critchley and a fascinating debate with the critically acclaimed novelist Tom McCarthy about the nature of authenticity. Taken together the conversations give an intimate portrait of one of the most lucid, provocative and engaging philosophers writing today.

Impossible objects are those about which the philosopher, narrowly conceived, can hardly speak: poetry, film, music, humor. Such "objects" do not rely on philosophy for interpretation and understanding; they are already independent practices and sites of sensuous meaning production. As Elvis Costello has said, "writing about music is like dancing about architecture." We don't need literary theory in order to be riveted by the poem, nor a critic's analysis to enjoy a film. How then can philosophy speak about anything outside of itself, namely all of those things which actually matter to us in this world?

In "Impossible Objects," Simon Critchley - one of the most influential and insightful philosophers writing today - extends his philosophical investigation into non-philosophical territories, including discussions on tragedy, poetry, humor, and music. In a series of engaging and enlightening conversations, Critchley reflects on his early work on the ethics of deconstruction; the recurring themes of mortality and nihilism; his defense of neo-anarchism; and his recent investigation into secular faith, or "a faith of the faithless." Essential reading for artists, academics, and general readers alike, this book explores the relationship between the philosophical world and those complex and fascinating "impossible objects" which give life meaning.

With 58 original essays by major experts, this "Companion" volume provides the first survey of all the major figures of 19th- and 20th-century Continental philosophy. Each essay explains and develops the key ideas of a central figure or movement as they relate to such areas as art theory, cultural studies, social and political theory, psychology, and the sciences.

Core topic section headings include:

"The Kantian Legacy" (Kant to Hegel).
"Overturning the Tradition" (Marx to Bergson).
"The Phenomenological Breakthrough" (neo-Kantianism to Heidegger).
"Phenomenology, Hegelianism and anti-Hegelianism in France" (Kojeve to Blanchot).
"Religion without Limits of Reason" (Rosenzweig to Marcel).
"Three Generations of Critical Theory"(Benjamin onwards).
"Hermeneutics" (Schleiermacher to Ricoeur).
"Continental Political Philosophy" (Lukas to Castoriadis).
"Structuralism and After" (Levi-Strauss to Le Doeuff).

Key contributors include Beiser, Pippin, Caputo, Flynn, McCarthy, Laclau, Patton, and Bennington, among others.

Covering the complete development of post-Kantian Continental philosophy, this volume serves as an essential reference work for philosophers and those engaged in the many disciplines that are integrally related to Continental and European Philosophy.

With 58 original essays by major experts, this "Companion" volume provides the first survey of all the major figures of 19th- and 20th-century Continental philosophy. Each essay explains and develops the key ideas of a central figure or movement as they relate to such areas as art theory, cultural studies, social and political theory, psychology, and the sciences.

Core topic section headings include:

"The Kantian Legacy" (Kant to Hegel).
"Overturning the Tradition" (Marx to Bergson).
"The Phenomenological Breakthrough" (neo-Kantianism to Heidegger).
"Phenomenology, Hegelianism and anti-Hegelianism in France" (Kojeve to Blanchot).
"Religion without Limits of Reason" (Rosenzweig to Marcel).
"Three Generations of Critical Theory"(Benjamin onwards).
"Hermeneutics" (Schleiermacher to Ricoeur).
"Continental Political Philosophy" (Lukas to Castoriadis).
"Structuralism and After" (Levi-Strauss to Le Doeuff).

Key contributors include Beiser, Pippin, Caputo, Flynn, McCarthy, Laclau, Patton, and Bennington, among others.

Covering the complete development of post-Kantian Continental philosophy, this volume serves as an essential reference work for philosophers and those engaged in the many disciplines that are integrally related to Continental and European Philosophy.

Impossible objects are those about which the philosopher, narrowly conceived, can hardly speak: poetry, film, music, humor. Such "objects" do not rely on philosophy for interpretation and understanding; they are already independent practices and sites of sensuous meaning production. As Elvis Costello has said, "writing about music is like dancing about architecture." We don't need literary theory in order to be riveted by the poem, nor a critic's analysis to enjoy a film. How then can philosophy speak about anything outside of itself, namely all of those things which actually matter to us in this world?

In "Impossible Objects," Simon Critchley - one of the most influential and insightful philosophers writing today - extends his philosophical investigation into non-philosophical territories, including discussions on tragedy, poetry, humor, and music. In a series of engaging and enlightening conversations, Critchley reflects on his early work on the ethics of deconstruction; the recurring themes of mortality and nihilism; his defense of neo-anarchism; and his recent investigation into secular faith, or "a faith of the faithless." Essential reading for artists, academics, and general readers alike, this book explores the relationship between the philosophical world and those complex and fascinating "impossible objects" which give life meaning.

The question of how to lead a happy and meaningful life has been at the heart of philosophical debate since time immemorial. Today, however, these questions seem to be addressed not by philosophers but self-help gurus, who frantically champion the individual's quest for self-expression and self-realization; the desire to become authentic.

Against these new age sophistries, "How to Stop Living and Start Worrying "tackles the question of 'how to live' by forcing us to explore our troubling relationship with death. For Critchley, philosophy begins with the question of finitude and with his understanding of a key classical theme - that to philosophize is to learn how to die. Learning how to accept both our own and others' mortality as a part of life also raises the question of how to love. Critchley argues that the act of love requires us to give up something of ourselves, to lose control so as to be open to the demands of love. We will never be equal to this demand and so we are brought face to face with our own limitations - one form of which is what Critchley calls our 'originary inauthenticity'. By scrutinizing the very nature of humour, Critchley explores what we need to laugh at ourselves and presents the need to confront the inescapable ridiculousness of life.

Reflecting on the work of over 20 years, this book provides a unique, witty and erudite introduction to the thought of Simon Critchley. It includes a revealing biographical conversation with Critchley and a fascinating debate with the critically acclaimed novelist Tom McCarthy about the nature of authenticity. Taken together the conversations give an intimate portrait of one of the most lucid, provocative and engaging philosophers writing today.