{"product_id":"wittgensteins-beetle-and-other-classic-thought-experiments-isbn-9781405121910","title":"Wittgenstein's Beetle and Other Classic Thought Experiments","description":"\u003ci\u003eWittgenstein’s Beetle and Other Classic Thought Experiments\u003c\/i\u003e invites readers to participate actively in discovering the surprisingly powerful and fruitful tradition of \"thought experiments.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli style=\"list-style: none\"\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eGives a lively presentation of an \"A to Z\" of 26 fascinating and influential thought experiments from philosophy and science\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003ePresents vivid and often humorous discussion of the experiments, including strengths and weaknesses, historical context, and contemporary uses\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eProvides a \"how to\" section for engaging in thought experiments\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eIncludes illustrations, mini-biographies, and suggestions for further reading.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e  \u003cp\u003eList of Figures vii\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eForward! viii\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction: Deep Thought – a brief history of thought experiments 1\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe A–Z\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA is for Alice and Astronomers Arguing about Acceleration 15\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eB is for Bernard’s Body-Exchange Machine 18\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eC is for the Catholic Cannibal 20\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eD is for Maxwell’s Demon 25\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eE is for Evolution (and an Embarrassing Problem with it) 28\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eF is for the Forms Lost Forever to the Prisoners of the Cave 30\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eG is for Galileo’s Gravitational Balls 33\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eH is for Hume’s Shades 37\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eI is for the Identity of Indiscernibles 41\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJ is for Henri Poincaré and Alternative Geometries 45\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eK is for the Kritik and Kant’s Kind of Thought Experiments 48\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eL is for Lucretius’ Spear 52\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eM is for Mach’s Motionless Chain 55\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eN is for Newton’s Bucket 58\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eO is for Olbers’ Paradox 62\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eP is for Parfit’s Person 65\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQ is for the Questions Raised by Thought Experiments Quotidiennes 67\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eR is for the Rule-Ruled Room 70\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eS is for Salvatius’ Ship, Sailing along its own Space-Time Line 74\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eT is for the Time-Travelling Twins 78\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eU is for the Universe, and Einstein’s Attempts to Understand it 81\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eV is for the Vexed Case of the Violinist 84\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eW is for Wittgenstein’s Beetle 87\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eX is for Xenophanes and Thinking by Examples 90\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eY is for Counterfactuals and a Backwards Approach to\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHistory 93\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eZ is for Zeno and the Mysteries of Infinity 97\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes for Experimenters\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHow to Experiment 103\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes and Cuttings 117\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWho’s Who of Experimenting 126\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcknowledgements 131\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex 132\u003c\/p\u003e  \"Martin Cohen's book is a delight to the intellect. His discussion of historically important thought experiments displays considerable erudition, permeated by wit and occasionally farcical invention which embellish the philosophical value of his treatment.\"\u003cbr\u003e Zenon Stavrinides, University of Bradford \u003c!--end--\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Cohen's book is packed with wit and scurrilous remarks about mainstream philosophers. His inimitable writing style, which entertains as it instructs, is directed towards making philosophical ideas immediately accessible to the general reader.\"\u003cbr\u003e George MacDonald Ross, University of Leeds\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"One of the fun things about philosophy is that you can sit back in your armchair, set up a laboratory in your own head and calmly observe the results of mixing x with y. This is the grand tradition of the \"thought experiment\", to which Cohen provides a zippy alphabetical guide. Cohen's explanations of the problems are lucid, and he defends the tradition against killjoys who argue that thought experiments cannot ever give reliable conclusions. At its best the thought experiment can be a highly compressed, conceptually fruitful marriage of science and literature.\"\u003cbr\u003e Steven Poole on Wittgenstein's Beetle\u003cbr\u003e Saturday November 20, 2004\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"The value of this little book is that it collects a wide range of thought experiments and presents them in an accessible way. It is a good place to start, and it will be especially useful for those who teach courses on the topic and want to introduce it to a new generation of students.\"\u003cbr\u003e James Robert Brown, University of Toronto\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"There are several books of philosophical thought experiments currently in print... Cohen's A-Z are mostly of historic significance to science. They are wittily presented...\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eMartin Cohen\u003c\/b\u003e is a teacher and writer specializing in philosophy, ethics and education, with a special interest in computing. His books include \u003ci\u003e101 Philosophy Problems\u003c\/i\u003e (2nd edn., 2001), \u003ci\u003ePolitical Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e (2001) and \u003ci\u003e101 Ethical Dilemmas\u003c\/i\u003e (2003). He has been editor of \u003ci\u003eThe Philosopher\u003c\/i\u003e since 1995.  Thought experiments have played a central and significant role across a broad spectrum of philosophy and science, clarifying and solving complicated puzzles, problems and ideas in the ‘laboratory of the mind’. This book offers a unique capsule history, inviting readers to participate actively in a surprisingly powerful and fruitful tradition.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Vivid examples from this fascinating history make up the heart of the book, including Newton’s Bucket, Lucretius’ Spear, Salvatius’ Ship, Plato’s Cave, and of course Wittgenstein’s Beetle. Each experiment is followed by a discussion offering possible inferences and consequences.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In the final section, Cohen examines the method of thought experimentation suggesting key points for those wishing to harness its power for new explorations.","brand":"Wiley-Blackwell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47990499737829,"sku":"NP9781405121910","price":107.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781405121910.jpg?v=1761788074","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/wittgensteins-beetle-and-other-classic-thought-experiments-isbn-9781405121910","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}