Labyrinths of Reason

by William Poundstone

Book Overview

This sharply intelligent, consistently provocative book takes the reader on an astonishing, thought-provoking voyage into the realm of delightful uncertainty--a world of paradox in which logical argument leads to contradiction and common sense is seemingly rendered irrelevant.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385242611
• ISBN13: 9780385242615
• Release Date: October 1988
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 274 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great book on logic and the meaning of 'knowing'

I have to confess - I bought this book after reading Mr. Poundstone's book 'How would you move mount Fuji?' I probably never would have bought this book otherwise - and I'm glad I did.So first of all - this is not a riddle book. Its a philosophy book trying to dismantle well know paradoxes in modern epistemology. It's not revolutionary in any way, but it collects its ideas from good sources and gives a nice and coherent view of the topic and the field.I would recommend this book only to people willing to read slowly and think about what they read. The journey is not easy - but Mr. Poundstone would get you to your destination every time.

An old friend back in print

I had this book in hardcover when it was new (the late 1980s), but I misplaced it some time ago. Now that this paperback edition is back in print, I've bought a replacement copy and I'm glad I did.Paradoxes are fascinating. You may not agree with Jorge Luis Borges when he speculates that paradoxes and antinomies are evidence that the "undivided divinity within us" has "dreamt the world" (although there is actually a pretty good case that something like this is so). But at any rate, a good paradox is -- to borrow a phrase that was not available when Poundstone wrote this book -- an "incongruity in the structure of the Matrix," an indication that there's _something_ subtly wrong with our intellectual take on reality, whether or not we can agree on _what's_ wrong. (In general but with rare exceptions, there isn't any widespread agreement about exactly how to resolve any of the famous paradoxes, even the ancient ones credited to Zeno of Elea.)William Poundstone's _Labyrinths of Reason_ is as good an introduction as I know to this entire area of philosophical thought. His exposition is clear and intelligible without sacrificing either accuracy or depth, and he tackles a very broad range of philosophical puzzles, from the problems of inductive logic to NP-completeness. Moreover, he's clearly fascinated by these puzzles and he infects the reader with that fascination. If you don't like Poundstone's book, then this entire subject probably isn't your cup of tea.If you _do_ like Poundstone's book, you'll find it a window onto what may be a whole new world (if you haven't read other books on this subject before). It's a great way to introduce yourself to mind-bending problems at the foundations of several fields: philosophy, of course (especially epistemology), but also the theory of complexity and computability, artificial intelligence, and even some aspects of theology.Depending which features interest you most, you might go on to Douglas Hofstadter's Pulitzer Prize-winning tour-de-force _Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid_, a magical mystery tour that is primarily intended as a defense of artificial intelligence. (Can machines be conscious? Yes, Hofstadter argues, because we are such machines ourselves.) Or you may prefer to start with his _Metamagical Themas_, part of which deals with the Prisoner's Dilemma. (Robert Axelrod's _The Evolution of Cooperation_ will be a good follow-up too.)Or you might want to read another good introductory discussion with a somewhat different "take"; in that case you'll want to consider R.M. Sainsbury's _Paradoxes_, which is aimed at arousing philosophical interest in these problems. If you want to see an attempt at a general solution of the full spectrum of paradoxes, check out Nicholas Rescher's _Paradoxes: Their Roots, Range, and Resolution_.Or you may want to move on to logic and logic puzzles. In that case Raymond Smullyan is your man. Find used copies of _What Is the Name of This Book?, _This Book Needs No

What a shame this book is out of print!

I would like to buy copies for several friends. The author examines common paradoxes in order to illumine various problems of knowledge. The chapter titles speak for themselves: The Unknowable, Belief, The Impossible, Infinity, NP-Completeness, Omnisicience. A wonderful and comprehensible introduction to some of the knottiest and important problems of science, philosophy, even theology. Recomended.

Good for the Brain

I love this book and will have to buy another copy one day because I lent mine out and never saw it again. I imagine its making its way hand to hand leaving little of bits of knowledge everywhere. This book is an excellent introduction to philosophy: the twin paradox, prisoner's dilemna.. its' all here. I would recommend this for anyone who uses their brain to solve problems for a living. It's good exercise for the brain!

This book will change the way you think.

This is an excellently-written, thoroughly engrossing book. You'll be torn between pausing to ponder what Poundtsone has said and reading on without interruption. Poundstone writes about both well-known and arcane paradoxes, thought experiments and philosophical theories. This book will not only change what you think; it will change how you think