The Big Questions
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""The Big Questions" is a funky book, like an intellectual roller coaster ride through some of the most fascinating ideas in science, math and economics. These are the ideas, says the author - a University of Rochester professor of economics - that unlock the most perplexing mysteries in philosophy and life, in general. His book is a thought provoking blast." -- David Henderson
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What's wrong with stealing? What's the best way to blood test a pot-bellied pig? Should we tolerate intolerance? In the wake of his enormously popular books, The Armchair Economist and More Sex is Safer Sex, Steven Landsburg uses concepts from maths, economics and physics to address the big questions in philosophy: Where does knowledge come from? What's the difference between right and wrong? Do our beliefs matter? Is it possible to know everything? Provocative, utterly entertaining and always surprising, The Big Questions challenges readers to re-evaluate their most fundamental beliefs and reveals the relationship between the loftiest philosophical quests and our everyday lives.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Landsburg admits in the first chapter that this book will just be random musings from him. And so it is. Random trivia on math, economics, quantum physics. I didn't know much about theses fields when I first picked it up and so I was glad to prowl through Landsburg's easy writing. Still the book is a little loose.
Format:Paperback
Being fascinated by the links between physics, mathematics, economics and philosophy, I was expecting this to be a fantastic read, and in some ways it is, it really opens up new ways of thinking. However, on the other hand, some of Dr Landsburg's arguments are very simplistic, especially when it comes to the economics side of analysis.
To summarise briefly, great to stimulate the brain and develop deeper ways of thinking, but don't accept his conclusions on many things - whether the author was simplifying concepts on purpose or not, I don't know, but there certainly are some intellectual holes - I would highly recommend reading deeper into certain issues in here if they interest you.
To summarise briefly, great to stimulate the brain and develop deeper ways of thinking, but don't accept his conclusions on many things - whether the author was simplifying concepts on purpose or not, I don't know, but there certainly are some intellectual holes - I would highly recommend reading deeper into certain issues in here if they interest you.
Format:Kindle Edition
I thoroughly enjoyed this book except for what I assume to be the sloppy translation to kindle format.
In particular, although there is a hyperlinked table of contents (and even a hyperlinked index) you cannot navigate directly to it via "Go to..."
Also there appears to be a lot of spurious spaces within words (possibly where words were broken across lines in the original?) and a systematic use of "of" where "off" is meant. Maybe this is true in the book also but if so it is outrageously bad proofreading.
As I say - this is a criticism of the kindle version of the book rather than the content but it is the only kindle book I have bought so far with these problems.
In particular, although there is a hyperlinked table of contents (and even a hyperlinked index) you cannot navigate directly to it via "Go to..."
Also there appears to be a lot of spurious spaces within words (possibly where words were broken across lines in the original?) and a systematic use of "of" where "off" is meant. Maybe this is true in the book also but if so it is outrageously bad proofreading.
As I say - this is a criticism of the kindle version of the book rather than the content but it is the only kindle book I have bought so far with these problems.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An instant classic
Sometimes ramblings and meanderings make for a bad read, this one however is excellent! Landsburg in this third book tackles the big questions of philosophy with the logic of a... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Den
Good book
Easy style, easy to follow and full of insights. However much of the book also reads as random trivia about mathematics (which doesn't hhave to be a bad thing).
Published 19 months ago by MK
waited to purchase this book for a long time (more than a year)....
yawn. There isnt much math, physics or economics in this book. Just Philosophy.
Quite a boring read.
Quite a boring read.
Published 20 months ago by Nick
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