1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910809630503321

Autore

Casati Roberto <1961->

Titolo

Insurmountable simplicities : thirty-nine philosophical stories / / Roberto Casati, Achille C. Varzi

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, : Columbia University Press, c2006

ISBN

1-283-00799-1

9786613007995

0-231-51040-3

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (140 p.)

Altri autori (Persone)

VarziAchille C

Disciplina

853/.92

Soggetti

Didactic fiction

Philosophical recreations

Philosophy, Italian

Philosophy

Questions and answers

PHILOSOPHY / General

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [131]-132) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- CONTENTS -- One -- Two -- Three -- Four -- Five -- Six -- Seven -- Eight -- Coda -- Note

Sommario/riassunto

"Perhaps not all the stories that follow are true. They could, however, be true, and the Reader is invited to ponder this. "So begins Insurmountable Simplicities, Roberto Casati and Achille Varzi's colorful incarnation of the many philosophical conundrums that hide in the wrinkles of everyday life. Why do mirrors seem to invert left and right but not up and down? How do we know whether strawberries taste the same for everyone? Where is it written that we must observe the law, and if it is not written, why should we observe it? What if we could swap brains-or the rest of our bodies? Insurmountable Simplicities is filled with stories, dialogues, and epistolary exchanges that cover a range of themes-such as personal identity, causality and responsibility, fortune, the nature of things, the paradoxes of time and space, the interface between logic and language-in captivating and inventive ways. Clear, concise, and intellectually engaging, this internationally acclaimed book



brilliantly demonstrates that the beauty of philosophy resides in its thorough engagement with the simplicities of the world, insurmountable as they might initially appear.