viii, 83 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / My thesis begins by acknowledging the fact that our time is marked by crisis. Although this seems, to most, undeniable, I argue that because we lack the criterion for legitimating this claim, appeals to crisis are always susceptible to ideological appropriation and misuse. Hence, the thesis strives to articulate a space of critical reflection in which the legitimate diagnosis of crises may be possible. To this end, I turn to the tradition of continental philosophy, appraising the efforts of Karl Marx, Jurgen Habermas, and Jacques Derrida. While each of these thinkers offers a unique critique of crisis, I argue that they nevertheless succumb to what I call "crisis consciousness" - a condition in which the perception of crisis is inseparable from that of powerlessness. / Adviser: Cheyney Ryan