Paradoxes

A paradox can be defined as an unacceptable conclusion derived by apparently acceptable reasoning from apparently acceptable premises. Unlike party puzzles or brain teasers, many paradoxes are serious in that they raise serious philosophical problems, and are associated with crises of thought and revolutionary advances. To grapple with them is not merely to engage in an intellectual game, but to come to grips with issues of real import. The second, revised edition of this intriguing book expands and updates the text to take account of new work on the subject. It provides a valuable and accessible introduction to a range of paradoxes and their possible solutions, with questions designed to engage the reader with the arguments and full bibliographical references to both classic and current literature on the topic.

• Clear and accessible • Excellent for teaching • Paradoxes provide a way in for students learning about philosophical reasoning

1. Zeno’s paradoxes: space, time, and motion; 2. Vagueness: the paradox of the heap; 3. Acting rationally; 4. Believing rationally; 5. Classes and truth; 6. Are any contradictions acceptable?; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

‘An excellent introduction to logical reasoning ... Its clarity and its non-technicality, combined with the great rigour of its treatment, make this book a small gem.’

– Pascal Engel