Reddit reviews Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking
We found 4 Reddit comments about Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
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I just finished Intuition Pumps by Daniel Dennett. In addition to presenting a variety of thought experiments, Dennett outlines some strategies for thinking about and critiquing said experiments.
The Philosophy Gym is another anthology that might fit the bill. I first encountered this book in a high school philosophy course and remember enjoying it a great deal.
24 years ago was a better time for me as well.
"The Prince" [Niccolò Machiavelli]
"The Demon-Haunted World [Carl Sagan]
"Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" [Douglas Hofstadter]
"On War" [Carl von Clausewitz]
"Intuition Pumps And Other Tools For Thinking" [Daniel C. Dennett]
I'm definitely not denying the usefulness of skepticism or epistemology (or philosophy). I'm a habitual devil's advocate - I think strongly challenging and testing beliefs plays an important role in discovering where a belief fits in our "scope of truth."
However, when I mention the Matrix, I'm thinking specifically about the brain in a vat problem ("We're all in a simulation!"). It's an interesting idea that plays off of an "obvious" truth (we can't step outside of our minds), but it doesn't provide much practical value beyond intellectual fancying (which is fine, but it's nothing more than that). I feel a similar way about David Chalmers philosophical zombies too.
Don't get me wrong, I think thought experiments can be valuable (I like many of the ones Daniel Dennett describes in his book Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking), but they also have a tendency to come off more insightful than they really are.
I recognize philosophy as very important and very practical to know (in general), but some philosophy is definitely more practical than others. That's the lesson I gain from pragmatism.
Read this then let's talk: http://www.amazon.com/Intuition-Pumps-Other-Tools-Thinking/dp/0393348784/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422159073&sr=8-1&keywords=intuition+pump.