"A philosopher of rare originality, rigor, and wit." --Jim Holt, Wall
Street Journal Over a storied career, Daniel C. Dennett has engaged
questions about science and the workings of the mind. His answers have
combined rigorous argument with strong empirical grounding. And a lot of
fun. Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking offers seventy-seven
of Dennett's most successful "imagination-extenders and focus-holders"
meant to guide you through some of life's most treacherous subject
matter: evolution, meaning, mind, and free will. With patience and wit,
Dennett deftly deploys his thinking tools to gain traction on these
thorny issues while offering listeners insight into how and why each
tool was built. Alongside well-known favorites like Occam's Razor and
reductio ad absurdum lie thrilling descriptions of Dennett's own
creations: Trapped in the Robot Control Room, Beware of the Prime
Mammal, and The Wandering Two-Bitser. Ranging across disciplines as
diverse as psychology, biology, computer science, and physics, Dennett's
tools embrace in equal measure light-heartedness and accessibility as
they welcome uninitiated and seasoned listeners alike. As always, his
goal remains to teach you how to "think reliably and even gracefully
about really hard questions." A sweeping work of intellectual
seriousness that's also studded with impish delights, Intuition Pumps
offers intrepid thinkers--in all walks of life--delicious opportunities
to explore their pet ideas with new powers.
