Review
Zenon Stavrinides, University of Bradford <!––end––>
"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."
George MacDonald Ross, University of Leeds
"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."
Steven Poole on Wittgenstein′s Beetle
Saturday November 20, 2004
The Guardian
"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."
James Robert Brown, University of Toronto
"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..."
Times Literary Supplement
Review
Product Description
- Gives a lively presentation of an "A to Z" of 26 fascinating and influential thought experiments from philosophy and science
- Presents vivid and often humorous discussion of the experiments, including strengths and weaknesses, historical context, and contemporary uses
- Provides a "how to" section for engaging in thought experiments
- Includes illustrations, mini–biographies, and suggestions for further reading.
From the Back Cover
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.
In the final section, Cohen examines the method of thought experimentation suggesting key points for those wishing to harness its power for new explorations.
