101 philosophy problems / by Martin Cohen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cohen, Martin, 1964-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Philosophy--Introductions.

Philosophy.

Genre:

Introductions.

Physical Description:

xxiii, 277 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm

Edition:

Fourth edition.

Other Title:

One hundred one philosophy problems

One hundred and one philosophy problems

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2013.

Summary:

Does Farmer Field really know his prize cow, Daisy, is in the field? When is an unexpected exam not wholly unexpected? Are all bachelors (really) unmarried? Martin Cohen's 101 Philosophy Problems, Fourth Edition introduces philosophy in an entertaining but informative and stimulating way. Using philosophical puzzles, conundrums and paradoxes he skilfully unwraps some of the mysteries of the subject, from what we know - or think we know - to brain-teasing thought experiments about ethics, science and the nature of the mind. For the fourth edition there are many new problems, including Maxwell's Moving Magnets, Einstein Changes Train Times and Zeno's Paradox of Place; as well as two brand new sections including puzzles such as Lorenz's Waterywheel, the Battle for Fractal Farm, and perplexing ethical dilemmas. The book has been extensively revised to bring it up to date with new developments in philosophy and society. With an updated glossary of helpful terms and possible solutions to the problems at the end of the book, 101 Philosophy Problems is essential reading for anyone coming to philosophy for the first time. Book jacket.

Contents:

Ten logical loops and paradoxical problems to get started with 1

1 The cow in the field 2

2 The raven 3

3 Descartes' big problem 5

4 The hanging judge 6

5 The hairdresser of Hindu Kush 8

6 The tuck-shop dilemma 9

7 Protagoras' problem 10

8 The unexpected exam 11

9 Sorites 13

10 A problem arranging ship battles 15

Eight tricky ethical dilemmas 17

11 Flight 999 to Shangri-La 18

12 The plank of Carneades 20

13 The dodgy donor clinic 21

14 The famous footbridge dilemma 22

15 A not-very classical musical dilemma 24

16 Whose baby? 25

17 Potentially a problem 27

18 Kidnapped by doctors! Episode I 28

19 Kidnapped by doctors! Episode II 30

20 The turtle 32

Half a dozen pesky numbers problems 33

21 The amazing run of luck 34

22 The infinite hotel 35

23 Zeno's paradox of place 36

24 Poincaré's problem 37

25 The mysterious triangle 39

26 The fern 41

Pretty ugly aesthetic problems 43

27 Fakes and forgeries 44

28 Flash Bagman 46

29 Problems buying stamps and potatoes 48

30 More problems buying stamps and potatoes 49

31 A matter of standards 50

32 The exploitative pictures 52

Heavy lifting personal problems 55

33 Swampy things 56

34 The X-perience Machine 58

35 The power of partiality 60

36 Against impartiality 62

37 The superior power of self-interest 65

38 The mind's eye 68

39 The half-a-brain problem 70

40 Only John King 71

41 The materialisation of Katie 73

Paradoxical picture puzzles 75

42 The 'blobs' and 'the colour disk illusion' 76

43 The cube and the triangle 77

44 Figure/ground reversal 78

45 The false leg 79

46 Band with a twist to it 80

Twelve traditional philosophy problems no one really cares about anyway 81

47 Unicorns' horns 82

48 The King of France's pate 82

49 Snow's colour 82

50 Unmarried bachelors 82

51 The author of Waverley 82

52 Martian water 82

53 The millennium problem 82

54 Green and red 83

55 G.E. Moore's problem 83

56 Kant's problem 83

57 More Kant 83

58 The table 83

Famous thought experiments in science and philosophy that changed the way we see the world ... a bit 85

59 Potty (thought) experiments 86

60 What happens after the sun goes out? 87

61 Galileo's (gravitational) balls 89

62 Maxwell's moving magnets 90

63 Einstein changes the train times 92

64 Schrödinger's cat's problem 94

65 Deep thought speaks for itself 95

66 Deeper thought 96

Some rather dodgy ethical problems 99

67 The dog and the professor I 100

68 The dog and the professor II 102

69 A relative problem 103

70 New Diktatia I 105

71 New Diktatia II 107

72 New Diktatia III 109

73 The dissonance of the $1 volunteers 110

74 The Devil's chemists 112

More paradoxical pictures 115

75 Daytime - or night-time? 116

76 But will the waterfall? 117

77 The architect's secret 118

78 Smaller and smaller 119

79 The three hares illusion 120

Fairly fundamental religious problems 121

80 The evangelist 122

81 The hate preacher 124

82-89 Problems raised by an annoying parishioner, on a wet Sunday afternoon, at the vicar's tea party 129

Another dollop of maths to keep you perky 133

90 The battle for Fractal Farm 134

91 Lorenz's waterywheel 137

92 Statistics in the firing line 139

93 Problems at the West Midlands grommet factory 140

Closing down problems 141

94 A fairly terminal problem for dull philosophers 142

95 Pain is good 143

96 Greed is good 144

97 Sleeping problems 146

98 The sleeping man 147

99 Simple universe 149

100 The problem of how to get to 101 (unsolved) 150

101 The problem of existence 151

Discussions 153.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415635745

0415635748

9780203069851

0203069854

OCLC:

813413625