This book, the result of arduous effort, represents an attempt to approach the life and work of Costas Axelos, one of the thinkers who marked thought in the 20th century. Axelos develops a questioning, meta-philosophical, and post-Marxist thought, which very early on sought to trace the problem of our planetary age. He also thought about the now dominant technique in our world extremely early on and addressed the contemporary human, trying to show them a path beyond optimism and pessimism, beyond hope and despair.

The narration of the events of his life is combined here with a parallel concise presentation of his writings, speeches, and—most importantly—his books. In order to make the reader's approach to the thinker’s work more direct, extensive excerpts from his work are provided.

Costas Axelos, for whom thought and life were one and the same, was a multifaceted personality with a tumultuous life. He was born in Athens during troubled times but lived mostly in France, in Paris, where he found himself around the age of twenty (one of the passengers of the now legendary ship Mataroa) emerging from the fire of war and resistance in Greece. From his adolescence, he had revealed his inclination towards philosophy, which he studied at the Sorbonne, where he later taught for several years.

His work has been translated into sixteen languages.