© Columbia University Press
Insurmountable Simplicities: Thirty-nine Philosophical Conundrums
Paper, 144 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-13723-2
$19.95
/ £13.95
April, 2006
Cloth, 144 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-13722-5
$60.00
/ £41.50
"The authors creatively weave...cleverly written stories. Highly recommended." — Library Journal
"Bite-sized bits of thought-provoking philosophy are cunningly explored in this little book of brainteasers." — Publishers Weekly
"An excellent and mentally stimulating introduction to a wide variety of difficult and deep questions." — Midwest Book Review
"These internationally well-known authors have a remarkable ability to make difficult philosophical and scientific issues palatable for the general public. They avoid ornaments that could distract readers and philosophical points emerge very clearly and with great immediacy." — Mario De Caro, Università Roma Tre, coeditor of Naturalism in Question
"Entry into the Houses of Philosophy is traditionally ponderous. As a kind of after-hours lark, Casati and Varzi slip you through unnoticed basement windows. In and out you go, from surface to depth, from depth to surface, finding yourself in Metaphysics or Aesthetics or Logic or Epistemology from an unauthorized perspective. The approach is bottom-up, the style is light-hearted, and the result educational. Philosophy needs more trespassers." — Roy Sorensen, professor of philosophy at Dartmouth College, author of Thought Experiments and A Brief History of the Paradox
"These stories are a colorful incarnation of philosophical concepts or paradoxes embedded in everyday life situations. It is not a random collection of stories, rather it is a systematic enterprise in which we find fresh episodes that help us understand the implications of philosophical concepts." — Marco Aiello, Vienna University of Technology and University of Trento
"A beautifully written, charming, accessible, and yet rigorous invitation to consider a number of challenging and delightful philosophical puzzles and themes." — Hud Hudson, Western Washington University, author of The Metaphysics of Hyperspace