Riddles of Existence: A Guided Tour of Metaphysics 1st Edition by Earl Conee (PDF)

Description

The riddles of metaphysics are the deepest and most puzzling questions we can ponder. Riddles of Existence is the first book ever to make metaphysics genuinely accessible and fun. Its lively, informal style brings these questions to life and shows how stimulating it can be to think about them. Earl Conee and Theodore Sider offer a lucid discussion of the major topics in metaphysics. What makes me the same person I was as a child? Is everything fated to be exactly as it is? Does time flow? How fast does it flow, and can one travel back in time, against the current? Does God exist? Whyis there anything at all rather than nothing? If our actions are caused by things science can predict and control, how can we have free will? The authors approach these topics in an open-minded and undogmatic manner, giving readers a full sense of the issues involved. They don’t try to convince usof their point of view. Instead, they hope that, by reading this book, we will come to appreciate the importance of such problems and develop reasoned opinions of our own. Riddles of Existence shows that philosophy can be exciting and important, and understandable by anyone.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review `Review from previous edition A series of hors d’oeuvres for intellectual diners…. The entertainment value lies in picking one’s way through ingenious arguments, encountering along the way basic ideas like the law of the excluded middle and the principle of sufficient reason…. Mr. Conee and Mr. Sider like to start with a common-sense, real-life question―Why is the person in my baby picture the same as the person I see in the mirror today?―and then pick apart the comfortable assumptions that carry most of us through life…. The questions are big. Do things occur by accident or necessity? Do humans have free will? Why does anything exist? Nothing is resolved, but a lot is discussed, and some famous arguments, like St. Anselm’s devilishly clever proof of the existence of God, are presented clearly and understandably. ‘ William Grimes, The New York Times About the Author Earl Conee is Professor of Philosophy at University of RochesterTheodore Sider is Frederick Whiton Professor of Philosophy at Cornell University

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I was somewhat disappointed in this book because it came across more as the author’s opinions on the very complex subjects of Metaphysics rather than a theological treatment of the subject…In the end they “proved” nothing really – and left most questions open. I suspect – but certainly will not conclude – that they do not believe in a Supreem Being (i.e., God) (authors – if I am incorect in this suspicion my appologies) – and when you think about it – without this faith in God – indeed nothing can really be proven in the metaphysical world.I found the chapter (as an example) on Free Will and Determination – especially laughable…The premise is that we live in a quantom mechanical world and if you could characterize all the atoms that exist in a person today – say 100 years ago – by causality you can determin what the person will do in their life…This to me is nonscencical and assums we are nothing more than purly mechanical beings – a bag of chemicals that learned to talk so to speak…Most reasonable people refruit this notion (as do I) – and rather believe that we are spiritual beings with free choice.This is an OK book to read if you are already familiar with Metaphsics – but if you are new to this field I think it would be best to skip it until you establish other foundations and beliefs…..I would recommend: A course in Miricles, Oneness, and The One and the Many…And of course St. Thomas’ original works.

⭐Sider’s chapters are a pleasure to read, Conee’s are a chore.

⭐This is a well written and easy to follow/understand text on the fundamental problems of metaphysics. A reliable starting point to grasp the main concepts before further investigations.

⭐It’s really well written very interesting and easy to follow really good examples. Over all it really pushed me to think about metaphysics in a different light.

⭐My daughter needed this for school

⭐I really enjoyed the heck of of this book! Well wriiten and a really entertaining read! I purchased it due to needing it as a supplemental textbook for an Intro. To Philosophy cousre at a JC!

⭐Great condition

⭐There’s a number of problems with this book. First and foremost, it’s not a guided tour, but mainly just proofs for everything the two authors believe, and dismissive claims against everything they don’t. The book is overpriced for its slim size, and while styled as a gentle introduction for beginners without terminology, I had trouble even following arguments I already understood. Instead of lacking terminology, they would give bizarre labels to propositions like Srii11, without an explanation of what exactly the S, r, and i stand for (the 11, at least, was obviously due to it being the 11th statement…).Moreover, the book is annoying. In the discussion of the cosmological argument for God (also known as the first cause argument), which roughly goes, “Everything effect we know of in science has a cause, therefore there was a first cause, which must necessarily lie outside of science.”, they hand-wave / dismiss the claim that everything in the world has a cause thus proving the arguments invalidity, and later on casting serious doubt on the existance of God because of this proof of its falseness.The problem, of course, is that in two other chapters, in which the authors are arguing against, say, Free Will, they take it as an immutable law that everything in the world has a cause and an effect.There are good arguments against the Cosmological Argument for God, but they don’t use them, instead basing their argument on a claim that they flat out claim is false in other chapters. There’s at least one blindingly wrong argument the authors make in every chapter of the book. So reading the book with any level of critical thinking makes you just want to hurl it across the room in disgust.I’d recommend Labyrinths of Reason insead.

⭐As most people who have had discussions about the “deeper questions” with philosophically sophisticated friends can attest, the line “It’s a metaphysical issue” rears it head quite often. What does this mean? What is metaphysics, and why is regular science unable to settle these types of questions?That was the motivation for me getting this book – as a plebe in philosophy, I felt I had to get a grip on this or forever be an embarrassment to my learned friends. Well, no more!The authors’ approach is (perhaps somewhat ironically) to illustrate metaphysics by example. A set of topics that seem reflective of the major issues in the field was selected, and the authors jump in without much ado. It is, to me at least, a real pleasure to see how things that I usually take for granted can be analyzed from a different perspective, often with very confusing and counter-intuitive results!The issues touched by the book ranges from ontological arguments, personal identity, time and how it relates to space, universals and constitution, to name a few. I don’t know if the order of the topics reflect some kind of build-up or increasing knowledge, but it seemed quite arbitrary to me. Which means you can probably read the chapters in any order without missing much. The arguments are well thought out, presented in a style that is accessible to the uninitiated like myself, entertaining and engaging. Both authors are clearly quite familiar with the issues at hand, and will generally make a case for all sides (usually just before squashing it with opposing arguments). For the curious, reference on further reading is provided.In spite of the informal presentation, the topics at hand can be get complicated. I found that leaving a chapter halfway through in order to finish at a later stage were problematic, as I would forget many of the arguments “in the air” in order to follow the logic until its conclusion. For that reason, I would not recommend this book for commuting read, as the “short bursts” of reading allowed by public transport can be frustrating when trying to understand a bigger argument and the complex issues around it. At least, if you are forced to read in chunks, be ready to rehash some of the ground covered in order to get full value.An often asked question for a book of this nature is: do I need to understand philosophy in order to read this book? Is it for everyone? Although some of the topics can get a bit hairy, and require some up-front thinking by the reader, my feeling is that, if you are interested in reading about metaphysics, you probably have already considered some of the issues to the point where this book would make sense to you.

⭐Unfortunately this review doesn’t concern the contents, which are great, as it appears I payed extra for a book with alopecia. All the pages are falling out, despite paying extra for “very good” condition.

⭐I think the co-authors succeed in doing so, and make some really knotty questions answerable and understandable. a good launch pad for more in depth reading.

⭐Have only just started reading, but looks like a fascinating introduction to a brilliant subject. A great buy for now.

⭐This was a purchase for a student undertaking a degree in philosophy and was in good condition. A good purchase

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