Ferry and Renaut split this text into three major subjects: an overview of May 1968, four French thinkers who are household names, and an overview of the "subject" of man. The first part is mainly informative, laying the groundwork for a humanistic critique of the postmodern/Marxist left in the second part. People unfamiliar with the politics of the period will find it particularly useful in putting modern French thought in perspective. The second section, a metaphorical crucifixion of Foucault, Derrida, Bourdieu, and Lacan, respectively, is a little more uneven. The best of the group is their critique of Derrida, whose philosophy they refer to playfully as "Heidegger+Derrida's style". The Bourdieu section seems the weakest, as his links to French Marxism seem tangential compared to those of Louis Althusser. The final section of the text is highly illuminating in pointing out the thought of these two gentlemen. While trenchently aware of the critiques of Nietzsche and Heidegger, they by no means see this as a sign to throw up one's hands and give up any chance of pursuing a humanist agenda. They posit a post-Cartesian, nonmetaphysical humanism that will be familiar to anyone who has read of Ferry's other books.