Can the essential needs and desires of humanity be defined in such a way that the insights gained could be guiding in the historical crisis we are currently facing? Billeter answers this question affirmatively and presents the core of such insight here. He has chosen the form of sketches to stimulate discussion and to differentiate the points that need to be debated. This approach also helps him avoid constructing a large theoretical edifice that could become an obstacle. It is a completely new approach in form, content, and intention. The fifty sketches are divided into two suites, modeled after musical compositions. The first is more philosophical and particularly illuminates language and the human subject. The second is more historical-political and draws possible practical consequences.