Wittgenstein's Beetle and Other Classic Thought Experiments [Hardcover]

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• Gives a lively presentation of an A to Z of 26 fascinating and influential thought experiments from philosophy and science
  
• Presents vivid and often humorous discussion of the experiments, including strengths and weaknesses, historical context, and contemporary uses
  
• Provides a how to section for engaging in thought experiments
  
• Includes illustrations, mini-biographies, and suggestions for further reading.

List of Figures vii

Forward! viii

Introduction: Deep Thought – a brief history of thought experiments 1

The A–Z

A is for Alice and Astronomers Arguing about Acceleration 15

B is for Bernard’s Body-Exchange Machine 18

C is for the Catholic Cannibal 20

D is for Maxwell’s Demon 25

E is for Evolution (and an Embarrassing Problem with it) 28

F is for the Forms Lost Forever to the Prisoners of the Cave 30

G is for Galileo’s Gravitational Balls 33

H is for Hume’s Shades 37

I is for the Identity of Indiscernibles 41

J is for Henri Poincaré and Alternative Geometries 45

K is for the Kritik and Kant’s Kind of Thought Experiments 48

L is for Lucretius’ Spear 52

M is for Mach’s Motionless Chain 55

N is for Newton’slS€