The Philosophy Gym: 25 Short Adventures in Thinking

by Stephen Law

From Descartes to designer babies, The Philosophy Gym poses questions about some of history's most important philosophical issues, ranging in difficulty from pretty easy to very challenging. He brings new perspectives to age-old conundrums while also tackling modern-day dilemmas -- some for the first time. Begin your warm up by contemplating whether a pickled sheep can truly be considered art, or dive right in and tackle the existence of God. In this radically new way of looking at philosophy, Stephen Law illustrates the problem with a story, then lets the argument battle it out in clear, easily digestible and intelligent prose. This perfect little mental health club is sure to give each reader's mind a great workout.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Psychology, Academic, Popular Science, Read For School, Logic

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2003

About the author

Stephen Law is a philosopher who teaches at Heythrop College in the University of London. He also edits the journal THINK, a source of philosophy aimed at the general public, affiliated with The Royal Institute of Philosophy.

Reviews

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you an armchair philosopher? Do you enjoy pondering life's great questions, such as the possibility of free will or the existence of God? If so, then this book is for you. Stephen Law has written a wonderful book that explores 25 great questions from the perspective of various philosophical approaches. His answers may surprise you. Can we expect the Sun to rise tomorrow? Is it art? Does God exist? Do we have free will? These are just a few of the many questions Law explores.

I particularly liked the format of the book. It's broken up into 25 short scenarios, where fictional characters argue for different positions. At the end of each scenario, Law gives a summary of his own position. I find myself returning to this book over and over again, sometimes when I have just a few minutes to kill.

Serious students of philosophy will undoubtedly find this book shallow, perhaps, but for the rest of us, this book is a fun read and a very accessible introduction to the great questions of philosophy.

[Paco Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and accessible introduction to philosophical issues, Law seems to be a good at popularizing some of the most interesting problems in philosophy. Showing that most of the times philosophy is not good because it gives us answers to such problems, but gives us thinking tools to try to deal with them. Although the chapters seem very brief, they give a good outline of what the mayor positions are for each topic, and how one can dig deeper to try to find the truth and falsehood of these positions. This book also stands out to me for making me consider being vegetarian as a serious position. And showing how cool thought experiments can be.

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite light, and pretty populist, but has some interesting points. The nature of the book - in that it intended to make you think about several aspects of life and the mind.. as opposed to actually answering all the questions it posed - did limit the level of completion that the book could offer to those seeking to know more about philosophy, but it did contain thought experiments which were enlightening and challenging.

[syd · Rating 3 out of 5]

very interesting to read about the formula of arguments and tidbits from historical arguments and philosophies made. i'm not sure if i am better at making arguments butt this was a good place to start my dive into philosophy as well as the structure of logos based arguments

[Ikramul Iqbal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book, everyone should read it atleast once.

[The Final Chapter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mid 3. Law deserves great credit for publishing this accessible guide covering 25 fundamental philosophical questions, ranging from the nature of art to the existence of God. The author has cleverly created fictional characters to posit conflicting interpretations of these central issues, before offering his own balanced assessment. Yet, as this reader explored`more of these questions, with the growing frustration at not being able to delve deeper into each question, the curiosity kept rising as to why the publisher did not envision this as a series of more detailed guides.

[Jibran · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic intellectual adventure for those just getting started on philosophy. I read it many years ago. The book delivers on its promise. It got me into mental gymnasium to build my critical-thinking muscle. Uh, I don't like the metaphor. But this book indeed is a philosophy gym.

For those who are wary of the lingo, of the highly technical and formalised prose of philosophers, this book is a challenging as well as an entertaining read.

[Greg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfinished and unimpressed!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philosophy gym

Entertainment & Engagement:
Rating: Good
While not the most captivating read, Philosophy Gym effectively makes complex and intellectual arguments more engaging through the use of dialogue and well-chosen examples.

Educational Value:
Rating: Great
This is an excellent introductory book for anyone new to philosophy. It also serves as a valuable resource for intermediate readers looking to sharpen their reasoning and critical thinking skills.

Effort, Accessibility & Aesthetic Impact:
Rating: Good
The book simplifies challenging concepts through dialogue, illustrative examples, and helpful sidebars, aking it easier for readers to follow and grasp philosophical arguments.

Practical Application:
Rating: Good
Though many may overlook the relevance of philosophy in daily life, this book demonstrates its value by addressing fallacies, paradoxes, and societal issues. It’s particularly useful for readers seeking to refine their perspectives and communicate their ideas more clearly.

Value for Writers:
Rating: Good
Packed with thought-provoking ideas, Philosophy Gym is a great resource for inspiring creativity, especially for those interested in writing within the sci-fi or fantasy genres.

[Jozef · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goed boek als introductie op filosofie.
Ik had er toch meer van verwacht.
Er zitten toch wat slordigheden in. Zo schrijft hij bvb dat "Pluto is een kolossale gasbol zonder een solide oppervlak". Fout. Pluto is een (kleine) dwergplaneet vooral bestaande uit ijs. Eigenlijk een grote sneeuwbal, geen gasbol. Pluto heeft zelfs (bijna) geen atmosfeer.
Ook in het hoofdstuk "waar komt het heelal vandaan" geeft hij blijk van een slechte kennis van de relativiteitstheorie en de relativiteit van tijd, terwijl hij een (fictieve fysicus) aan het woord laat die blijkbaar de fysica niet goed begrijpt.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this. Each chapter is fairly short, and presented in various formats (a conversation, an argumentative article) to keep things fresh while thought-provoking. It really brought me back to my philosophy classes in high school and had me thinking about my beliefs a little deeper. You can observe some of the author's own comments or perspectives come through in the way the chapter is structured or concluded but overall I would say it's fairly objective and fun introduction into big philosophical ideas.

[Миклухо-Маклай]

Even deterministic systems with no random element involved can have unpredictable behavior rendering long term prediction impossible (see Chaos Theory). Yet author claims otherwise as if he's stuck in the 19th century. In his defence, he doesn't make it as insolently and unapologetically as James Rachels in his Problems from Philosophy.

[paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you have ever had any thought ever this is the book for u. this book is like what makes you go WAITTTTTT?? and then everything falls apart. it’s fun it’s easy to follow and no confusing terms and jargon. perfect perfect PERFECT introduction to philosophy and helped me sm in identifying what areas i’m interested in and want to explore further. soooo much love

[Joeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining introduction to 25 philosophical problems. Most chapters are written in the form of dialogues that show the argumentation behind some famous philosophical problems, with funny moments and examples in these fictional dialogues to boot.

[Jokersdot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mind training and also for getting used to the most popular philosophical arguments and premises. Learned a great deal from it.

[Simon Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull and overly simple.

[Luke Nichol · Rating 5 out of 5]

25 brilliant thought experiments for introducing students to philosophy from the 'are we brains in a machine?' to 'what is right and wrong?' and 'what is happiness? truth? justice?'

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book—great starting place for those into philosophy

[Jus chn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the format of this novel, and the questions discussed.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to rediscover this very accessible stroll [or canter] along the highways and byways of philosophy..

[Asmanic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely fun book looking at philosophical problem and arguments for beginners!

[Lilian Sorensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very intriguing book, that provides various ways/ insights of how one views and perceives the world around and beyond us.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Because the further readings are terrible: just compare them with James Rachels's Problems from Philosophy. Because the writing is unnecessarily repetitive and generally weak otherwise: entire clauses appear more than once within successive paragraphs, only partially modified. And because Law's only "dead cert" seems to be god's non-existence: almost every chapter has a "Conclusions" section stating that no definitive conclusions are possible for that topic. But because i so eagerly want to argue with him—especially about the Paradoxes chapter—i'll grant an extra half star. Maybe he'll feel so grateful that he'll ring me up for a cup of tea and some heated debate.

Of all the lamenesses in the Paradoxes, the following seems simplest to knock over. Law claims that at the time this book was written the following "paradox continues to perplex philosophers of language":

A boy challenges his father's assertion that "Santa Claus doesn't exist" is a true assertion. The boy gets his father to agree that names refer to something; in short, they allow us to talk about that something meaningfully. But, reasons the boy, if Santa Claus doesn't exist, then the name refers to nothing and his father's assertion literally makes no sense. Thus, Santa Claus must exist.

I doubt anybody had lengthy arguments about this statement or similar ones. Yes, one could intentionally misinterpret that sentence to mean "There is no such name as 'Santa Claus'," or "No existent beings have ever been named 'Santa Claus'," but that kind of bullshit belongs in the same trashbin as what Law calls "boring relativism," so let's ignore it completely. The sentence in question has an obvious meaning of something like "There actual being named 'Santa Claus' has ever exhibited or possessed all the defining characteristics of the fictional personage we are referring to by that name. The intended referent is clearly the fictitious/mythical being. More elaborately: there are exactly zero beings whom English-speaking Americans refer to as Santa Claus who live at the North Pole; employ myriad elves as toy-makers; ride thru the sky on a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer on Christmas night delivering gifts to all the world's good children; and have cheeks like roses, a nose like a cherry, and a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly. Furthermore, Please don't bore me with your intentional obtuseness of linguistic ambiguity. When i say, "Fantasy Island doesn't exist," you know that i don't mean that the TV program called Fantasy Island doesn't exist; and you know that i don't mean that the island called "Fantasy Island" on the TV show of the same name does not exist within the show's own fictional world; and, mainly, you know that i mean that the eponymous island depicted on that TV program does not exist anywhere other than within the fictional world of that show (and of course as an "idea" in our heads when we speak of that show/island). Yeah, Fantasy Island exists, but it ain't the same kind of existence as when i say that the Hawaiian islands exist.

Decidedly not a paradox. For me. A brief search of the interwebs churns up some less than high caliber forum and wiki debates about this exact "paradox" as well as some stuff about Curry's Paradox, which involves a self-referential statement involving Santa Claus. I wonder if Law was thinking of this when he claimed his Santa paradox is still being debated. I also wonder if some smarty pants out there in Goodreads land would be so kind as to point out the flaw in my attempted refutation above. (waiting to be humiliated)

[Farjam · Rating 3 out of 5]

With its simple and understandable expression, this book is suitable for those who want to start learning philosophy. As the name suggests, it was written to warm up the minds of students and familiarize them with philosophical issues.
The author raises some of the most basic philosophical issues in the form of examples and dialogues, but does not go deep into any of them. I absolutely recommend this book to all those who want to step into the realm of philosophy. But if you have a basic knowledge of philosophical issues, the contents of the book may seem very basic and repetitive to you.

[Jared Lancaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a lot of fun. The pictures were great, the exploration of all the arguments from things like the ethics of punishment to the origins of the universe were really fun. Good armchair philosophy book.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great, short exercises that illustrate philosophical quandries and all sides of the argument. For example, "What's Wrong with Gay Sex?" exposes the fallacies in the many common arguments against homosexuality. One by one the "arguments" by way of appeals to the Bible, "unnaturalness," "dirtiness," "unhealthiness," "corruption of the young," "family values," and alleged promiscuity are shot down for logical reasons, all via a hypothtical conversation with God.

Likewise issues of personal identity, knowledge, time travel, numbers, and other philosophical problems are made accessible through these hypothetical situations and conversations. A great read.

[Divasaurus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book delves into philosophical questions and organised its theories and arguments clearly, succinctly and creatively. I thought it was a bit boring at first, but then I started to appreciate the way it was written- in plain English and with mini-stories too!- and its content. I definitely want to re-read it. Plus for those who want to read more 'academic' Philosophical arguments, at the end of each chapter, Law makes a list for the interested. [;

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great book dealing with interesting philosophical questions. It doesn't supply any answers, though, it just gives the readers clues that help making up her or his mind, just like a good book on philosophy should. This one really makes you think, and it's relatively easy to read. Recommended.

[Dave Wiebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philosophy is mostly silly and silly answers or no answers at all to the silly questions it asks. For example: do other people exist if all I know is my own consciousness? (no) Should we expect the sun to rise tomorrow? (no) This statement is false. It's a paradox! Oh no! Everybody panic! Just silly.

[Stan Bartkus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really nice way to introduce the tools of thinking. The first 24 chapters each give a problem and the scripted debate over it. Putting a label on each new concept. One concept per chapter.

The final chapter puts the 'icing' on the cake with "Seven Paradoxes" some of which have been kicked around by the world's best minds for 2,000 years without really good answers.