Socratic Puzzles - Tapa dura

"Socratic Puzzles is the work of a brilliant mind whose energy for abstract ratiocination in the service of structure hasn't mellowed as much as some thought it would. As ever, Nozick impresses and daunts readers able to follow him. Nozick impresses and daunts readers able to follow him. Nozick is a distinctive voice in contemporary philosophy: inventive, funny, and often contrarian in his beliefs and choice of topics. At its best his work is exhilarating.--Thomas Hurka "Toronto Globe & Mail " "Socratic Puzzles" is the work of a brilliant mind whose energy for abstract ratiocination in the service of structure hasn't mellowed as much as some thought it would. As ever, Nozick impresses and daunts readers able to follow him.--Carlin Romano "Philadelphia Inquirer "

Comprising essays and philosophical fictions, classics and new work, the book ranges from Socrates to W. V. Quine, from the implications of an Israeli kibbutz to the flawed arguments of Ayn Rand. Nozick considers the figure of Socrates himself as well as the Socratic method (why is it a method of getting at the truth?). Many of these essays bring classic methods to bear on new questions about choice. How should you choose in a disconcerning situation ("Newcomb's Problem") when your decisions are completely predictable? Why do threats and not offers typically coerce our choices? How do we make moral judgments when we realize that our moral principles have exceptions? Other essays present new approaches to familiar intellectual puzzles, from the stress on simplicity in scientific hypotheses to the tendency of intellectuals to oppose capitalism.