Riddles of Existence: A Guided Tour of Metaphysics - Tapa dura

"A series of hors d'oeuvres for intellectual diners.... The entertainment value lies in picking one's way through ingenious arguments, encountering along the way basic ideas like the law of the excluded middle and the principle of sufficient reason.... Mr. Conee and Mr. Sider like to start with a common-sense, real-life question--Why is the person in my baby picture the same as the person I see in the mirror today?--and then pick apart the comfortable assumptions that carry most of us through life.... The questions are big. Do things occur by accident or necessity? Do humans have free will? Why does anything exist? Nothing is resolved, but a lot is discussed, and some famous arguments, like St. Anselm's devilishly clever proof of the existence of God, are presented clearly and understandably."--William Grimes, The New York Times "A series of hors d'oeuvres for intellectual diners.... The entertainment value lies in picking one's way through ingenious arguments, encountering along the way basic ideas like the law of the excluded middle and the principle of sufficient reason.... Mr. Conee and Mr. Sider like to start with a common-sense, real-life question--Why is the person in my baby picture the same as the person I see in the mirror today?--and then pick apart the comfortable assumptions that carry most of us through life.... The questions are big. Do things occur by accident or necessity? Do humans have free will? Why does anything exist? Nothing is resolved, but a lot is discussed, and some famous arguments, like St. Anselm's devilishly clever proof of the existence of God, are presented clearly and understandably."--William Grimes, The New York Times "A series of hors d'oeuvres for intellectual diners.... The entertainment value lies in picking one's way through ingenious arguments, encountering along the way basic ideas like the law of the excluded middle and the principle of sufficient reason.... Mr. Conee and Mr. Sider like to start with a common-sense, real-life question--Why is the person in my baby picture the same as the person I see in the mirror today?--and then pick apart the comfortable assumptions that carry most of us through life.... The questions are big. Do things occur by accident or necessity? Do humans have free will? Why does anything exist? Nothing is resolved, but a lot is discussed, and some famous arguments, like St. Anselm's devilishly clever proof of the existence of God, are presented clearly and understandably."--William Grimes, The New York Times "A series of hors d'oeuvres for intellectual diners.... The entertainment value lies in picking one's way through ingenious arguments, encountering along the way basic ideas like the law of the excluded middle and the principle of sufficient reason.... Mr. Conee and Mr. Sider like to start with a common-sense, real-life question--Why is the person in my baby picture the same as the person I see in the mirror today?--and then pick apart the comfortable assumptions that carry most of us through life.... The questions are big. Do things occur by accident or necessity? Do humans have free will? Why does anything exist? Nothing is resolved, but a lot is discussed, and some famous arguments, like St. Anselm's devilishly clever proof of the existence of God, are presented clearly and understandably."--William Grimes, The New York Times

The questions of metaphysics are among the deepest and most puzzling. What is time? Am I free in my actions? What makes me the same person I was as a child? Why is there something rather than nothing? Riddles of Existence makes metaphysics genuinely accessible, even fun. Its lively, informal style brings the riddles to life and shows how stimulating they can be to think about. No philosophical background is required to enjoy this book: anyone wanting to think about life's most profound questions will find Riddles of Existence provocative and entertaining.