This book examines important movements of 20th century German philosophy, such as phenomenology, hermeneutics, and critical theory. With chapters on Husserl, Heidegger, Gadamer, Habermas, and Apel, Gorner discusses the philosophers and philosophies against the background of what is most distinctive in the German philosophical tradition.

This book offers an historical and critical account of the important German philosophical movements and philosophers of the 20th century. In an accessible way, Gorner introduces the reader to a principal representative of each movement, laying out Husserl's phenomenology, Gadamar's hermeneutics, Habermas's critical theory, and Apel's pragmatics, and giving extensive treatment of Heideggar's multi-disciplinary work. Twentieth Century German Philosophy provides the general reader with an incisive discussion of these philosophers and philosophies against a background of the distinctive German tradition. This comprehensive introduction to German philosophy in the 20th Century will be illuminating reading for those seeking a closer understanding of the German tradition, from the monumentally important work of Heidegger to the popular ideas of hermeneutics and critical theory.

One of Gorner's strenghs is that he brings the usual clarity of analytic philosophy to the often fuzziness of German philosophy.'/Christopher Adair-Toteff, British JOurnal for the History of Philosophy, Vol 10, No.4, November 2002