This Sentence is False: An Introduction to Philosophical Paradoxes

by Peter Cave

Overview

A lively and accessible introduction to philosophical paradoxes - ideal for anyone coming to this fascinating subject for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847062192
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/12/2009
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Peter Cave teaches philosophy The Open University and City University London, UK. He writes regularly for Philosophy Now and The Philosophers' Magazine and has made regular TV and radio appearances. In 2005 he presented a series of programmes on paradoxes on BBC Radio 4. His previous publications include Can a Robot Be Human? (One World, 2007).

Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgements 1. Welcome to the rational irrational - how to win, how to starve, and how to pump money 2. Too clever by one half - or at least one eighth 3. Lather, rinse, repeat - ‘repeat' did you say?
4. Infinity: no ends; no beginning - a flea, fly and bandit 5. Heaps and haze, colours and clocks - and 1,001 cats 6. Ravens, lotteries - and a gruesome tale or two 7. Morality and politics - blackmail, buck-passing and voting 8. Encounters with God - and his mysterious ways 9. Encounters with ourselves and our mysterious ways - life, luck and love 10. When to stop Appendices Further reading Notes, sources and references Paradoxes purveyed Bibliography General Index

Editorial Reviews

"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 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.--Sanford Lakoff

"'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

From the Publisher