Paradoxes /

This book contains excellent discussions of a wide variety of well-known philosophical paradoxes: Zeno's paradoxes of space, time, and motion; vagueness paradoxes, such as the sorites paradox; Newcomb's paradox and the Prisoner's Dilemma; the paradoxes of confirmation and the suprise test paradox; and Russell's paradox and the Liar's paradox. Chapters may be read independently; each moves from a clear exposition of the paradox to quite sophisticated attempts (often based on recent journal articles) to resolve it. The special strength of this book is the way it shows that most paradoxes are not logical tricks, and that attempts to resolve them lead one immediately into deep and complex philosophical issues. It brings out these issues in remarkably short compass. Advanced undergraduates may find some sections rather tough going, but well worth the effort. Moreover, the book's usefulness is increased by many "thought questions" sprinkled throughout the text, ample bibliographical notes, and an appendix that contains additional paradoxes. Strongly recommended. D. D. Merrill Oberlin College