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Paradox Lost: Logical Solutions to Ten Puzzles of Philosophy
Paradox Lost covers ten of philosophy’s most fascinating paradoxes, in which seemingly compelling reasoning leads to absurd conclusions. The following paradoxes are Each paradox is clearly described, common mistakes are explored, and a clear, logical solution offered. Paradox Lost will appeal to professional philosophers, students of philosophy, and all who love intellectual puzzles.
287 pages, Paperback
Published July 9, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 21, 2021
I would greatly enjoy if all of these were not based on logical fallacies. It seems we’ve taken a great detour of reasoning around the obvious answers - but then, one can’t make a book on a few paragraphs of reasoning.
Overall, very cute.
Overall, very cute.
June 23, 2023
Michael Huemer is my favourite philosopher and I loved this book.
But it's not for everyone.
You should be somewhat interested in epistemology, formal logic and probability theory.
It's like the TedEd videos about riddles and paradoxes, but it provides you with highly advanced answers that are illuminating when it comes to challenges in our use of language and logic.
My favourite chapters were: the Liar's Paradox, Newcomb's Paradox, Sorites Paradox, Shooter Paradox.
The moral of the story is summed up by this quote:
"My own view is that objective reality, in general, is difficult but not impossible for human beings to grasp (....). Recognising how fallible we are can help us learn to counter our native overconfidence. At the same time, we should not heed the counsel of skeptics and subjectivists: we should not give up on the project of understanding the world as it really is. The world is extremely complicated, subtle, and often mysterious, and the human mind is prone to many oversights, biases, and confusions. But the world is not inconsistent, nor the human mind incorrigible. It is possible, with work, to root out our confusions and, bit by bit, improve our understanding of the world.” (Michael Huemer)
But it's not for everyone.
You should be somewhat interested in epistemology, formal logic and probability theory.
It's like the TedEd videos about riddles and paradoxes, but it provides you with highly advanced answers that are illuminating when it comes to challenges in our use of language and logic.
My favourite chapters were: the Liar's Paradox, Newcomb's Paradox, Sorites Paradox, Shooter Paradox.
The moral of the story is summed up by this quote:
"My own view is that objective reality, in general, is difficult but not impossible for human beings to grasp (....). Recognising how fallible we are can help us learn to counter our native overconfidence. At the same time, we should not heed the counsel of skeptics and subjectivists: we should not give up on the project of understanding the world as it really is. The world is extremely complicated, subtle, and often mysterious, and the human mind is prone to many oversights, biases, and confusions. But the world is not inconsistent, nor the human mind incorrigible. It is possible, with work, to root out our confusions and, bit by bit, improve our understanding of the world.” (Michael Huemer)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews