Description
Book SynopsisThis book offers a lively and accessible introduction to philosophical paradoxes - ideal for anyone coming to this fascinating subject for the first time. Put your neurons through their paces with this lively and engaging introduction to paradoxes. From "Buridan's Ass" and the "Surprise Examination" to "The Liar" and "Sleeping Beauty", "This Sentence is False" introduces all the key philosophical paradoxes. This fascinating guide to logic and reasoning is packed with puzzles and thought experiments to actively engage the reader in critical thinking. As well as paradoxes that occur in our everyday lives, topics also include God, ethics, political philosophy, space and time. Ideal for anyone coming to philosophy for the first time, "This Sentence is False" will put your mind to the test, challenge what you think you know and lead you on a fascinating journey through logical reasoning.
Trade Review"Peter Cave takes us on an edifying tour through the world of paradoxes, and there is much to be learned, as well as much enjoyment to be had, in the process." - Adrian W. Moore, University of Oxford, UK
"‘This sentence is false' is a sentence printed on the cover of this book. A sentence is not a name. So what is the name of the book? This book (whatever its name) is full of intriguing philosophical puzzles ... Paradoxes may seem trivial at first glance, but further thought reveals them to be challenges to some of our most fundamental beliefs and preconceptions. Peter Cave entertainingly escorts the reader through a great variety of these fascinating puzzles, shining light that is fresh and bright."- Laurence Goldstein, University of Kent, UK
"This is a truly wonderful book. The topic is tough, but Peter Cave brings it to life. He manages to give new insights on old topics, which is itself remarkable, and he also brings in plenty of less familiar topics ... All in all, it is a joy to see such cleverness and clarity of thought coexisting with such an easy (and light and amusing) writing style." - Professor Imre Leader, Cambridge University, UK
Absorbing and provocative - hard to put down, and light as a feather to pick up again. -- Law Society Journal
Table of Contents1. The Good, the Bad and the Surprising; 2. Endlessness in Reasoning: 'Lather, Rinse, Repeat'; 3. Rationality: Trust Me!; 4. Endless Divisions: Catch Me if You Can; 5. Drawing Lines: Heaps, Frogs and Tachometers; 6. 'This Page is Left Blank': Liars, Luck and Emptiness; 7. God, Gods, Goods and Fictions; 8. Impossible Deeds: Beyond Belief and the Self; Appendix: Key Paradoxes; Index.
