I Think, Therefore I Laugh: The Flip Side of Philosophy - Hardcover

Paulos, John Allen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0713994835 ISBN 13: 9780713994834

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2000

Synopsis

Ludwig Wittgenstein once remarked that 'a serious and good philosophical work could be written that consists entirely of jokes'. Inspired by this idea, John Allen Paulos shows here how conceptual humour and analytical philosophy resonate at a very deep level. I THINK, THEREFORE I LAUGH is packed with jokes, stories, parables, puzzles and anecdotes, all of which relate in one way or another to various philosophical problems. Did you hear the one about Groucho Marx and Bertrand Russell... 'Paulos is brilliant at capturing difficult ideas in a memorable joke. I've never laughed so much while thinking so hard' - Brian Butterworth

About this title

Review:

If, like me, you find fun in logical conundrums and absurdities, you will find plenty [here]. On the other hand, if youre of the type that finds people like Paulos and me tedious, you should look into his book anyway, just to see what youve been missing.

Synopsis:

Inspired by Wittgenstein's quip that a book on philosophy might consist entirely of jokes "I Think, Therefore I Laugh" explores topics such as misunderstandings of mathematics and science and of the relation between them, pseudo-science and its appeal, the uses and misuses of probability and statistics, humour and "higher order" endeavours and the interplay between narrative and numbers. This is a new edition of John Allen Paulos' second of six books and fans will recognise themes he later went on to pursue in other words.

About this edition

• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0713994835
• ISBN 13: 9780713994834
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192