The big questions : tackling the problems of philosophy with ideas from mathematics, economics, and physics

In the wake of his enormously popular books The Armchair Economist and More Sex Is Safer Sex , S teven L andsburg uses concepts from mathematics, economics, and physics to address the big questions in philosophy: What is real? What can we know? What is the difference between right and wrong? A nd how should we live? Widely renowned for his lively explorations of economics, in his fourth book Landsburg branches out into mathematics and physics as well—disciplines that, like economics, the author loves for their beauty, their logical clarity, and their profound and indisputable truth—to take us on a provocative and utterly entertaining journey through the questions that have preoccupied philosophers through the ages. The author begins with the broadest possible categories—Reality and Unreality; Knowledge and Belief; Right and Wrong—and then focuses his exploration on specific concerns: from a mathematical analysis of the arguments for the existence of God; to the real meaning of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and the Godel Incompleteness Theorem; to the moral choices we face in the marketplace and the voting booth. Stimulating, illuminating, and always surprising, The Big Questions challenges readers to re-evaluate their most fundamental beliefs and reveals the relationship between the loftiest philosophical quests and our everyday lives. The beginning of the journey : how this book came to be, and what it's about Reality and unreality. On what there is : why is there something instead of nothing? The best answer I have : mathematics exists because it must and everything else exists because it is made of mathematics. With an excursion into artificial intelligence Unfinished business : going bananas : unfinished business from chapter 1 : the nature and purpose of economic models How Richard Dawkins got it wrong : the case against God : why Dawkins's argument against intelligent design can't be right, and a mathematical analysis of the arguments for the existence of God Beliefs. Daydream believers : most beliefs are ill-considered, because most false beliefs are costless to hold. The next several chapters will explore the consequences of this observation, before we return to the question of where our beliefs and knowledge come from Unfinished business : unfinished business from the preceding chapter : how color vision works, sound and water waves, the sheer craziness of economic protectionism Do believers believe? Our ill-considered beliefs about religion. Why I believe that almost nobody is deeply religious On what there obviously is : our ill-considered beliefs about free will, ESP, and life after death Diogenes's nightmare : how is legitimate disagreement possible? If you're arguing with someone who is as intelligent and informed as you are, shouldn't you put just as much weight on your opponent's arguments as your own? The fact that we persist in disagreeing is strong evidence that we don't really care what's true Knowledge. Knowing your math : where mathematical knowledge comes from, and why evidence and logic are not enough Unfinished business : Hercules and the hydra : unfinished business from the preceding chapter : the tale of Hercules and the hydra, with an excursion into the lore of very large numbers Incomplete thinking : Gödel's incompleteness theorem, and what it doesn't say about the limits of human knowledge The rules of logic and the tale of the potbellied pig : the power of logical thought, with excursions into the most counterintuitive theorem in all of mathematics The rules of evidence What we can and can't learn from evidence, with excursions into the value of preschool and how Internet porn prevents rape The limits to knowledge : what physics does and doesn't tell us about what we can and cannot know. Understanding Heisenberg's uncertainty principle Unfinished business : quantum entanglement : the oddness of the quantum world, and why it matters to game theorists Right and wrong. Telling right from wrong : some hard questions about right and wrong, and about life and death The economist's golden rule : a rule of thumb for good behavior How to be socially responsible : a user's guide to the economist's golden rule : putting the rule of thumb into practice On not being a jerk : Goofus and Gallant on immigration policy The economist on the playground : our ill-considered beliefs about fairness in the marketplace and in the voting booth, contrasted with our carefully considered beliefs about fairness on the playground Unfinished business : let the rabbi split the pie : how ancient Talmudic scholars anticipated modern economic theory The life of the mind. How to think : some basic rules for clear thinking, mostly about economics, but also about arithmetic, neurobiology, sin, and eschewing blather What to study : advice to college students : some advice to college students : stay away from the English department and approach the philosophy department with caution. With an excursion into the remarkable life of Frank Ramsey. The beginning of the journey What this book is about : using ideas from mathematics, economics, and physics to tackle the big questions in philosophy : what is real? what can we know? what is the difference between right and wrong? and how should we live? Reality and unreality On what there is Why is there something instead of nothing? the best answer I have : mathematics exists because it must and everything else exists because it is made of mathematics, with an excursion into artificial intelligence Unfinished business Unfinished business from chapter two : the nature and purpose of economic models How Richard Dawkins got it wrong Why Dawkins's argument against intelligent design can't be right and a mathematical analysis of the arguments for the existence of God Belief Daydream believers Most beliefs are ill-considered because most false beliefs are costless to hold The next several chapters will explore the consequences of this observation before we return to the question of where our beliefs and knowledge come from Unfinished business Unfinished business from the preceding chapter : how color vision works, sound, and water waves, the sheer craziness of economic protectionism Do believers believe? Our ill-considered beliefs about religion : why I believe that almost nobody is deeply religious On what there obviously is Our ill-considered beliefs about free will, ESP, and life after death Diogenes's nightmare How is legitimate disagreement possible if you're arguing with someone who is as intelligent and informed as you are, shouldn't you put just as much weight on your opponent's arguments as your own? The fact that we persist in disagreeing is strong evidence that we don't really care what's true Knowledge Knowing your math Where mathematical knowledge comes from and logic and why evidence and logic are not enough Unfinished business Unfinished business from the preceding chapter : the tale of hercules and the hydra, with an excursion into the lore of very large numbers Incomplete thinking Godel's incompleteness theorem and what it doesn't say about the limits of human knowledge The rules of logic and the tale of a Potbellied pig The power of logical thought, with excursions into the most counterintuitive theorem in all of mathematics and the tale of a potbellied pig The rules of evidence What we can and can't learn from evidence, with excursions into the value of preschool and how internet porn prevents rape The limits to knowledge What physics does and doesn't tell us about what we can and cannot know Understanding Heisenberg's uncertainty principle Unfinished business The oddness of the quantum world and why it matters to game theorists Right and wrong Telling right from wrong Some hard questions about right and wrong and about life and death The economist's golden rule A rule of thumb for good behavior How to be socially responsible Putting the rule of thumb into practice On not being a jerk Goofus and gallant on immigration policy The economist on the playground Our ill-considered beliefs about fairness in the market place and in the voting booth, contrasted with our carefully considered beliefs about fairness on the playground Unfinished business How ancient talmudic scholars anticipated modern economic theory The life of the mind How to think Some basic rules for clear thinking, mostly about economics, but also about arithmetic, neurobiology, sin, and eschewing blather What to study Advice to college students : stay away from the English department and approach the philosophy department with caution, with an excursion into the remarkable life of Frank Ramsey. Title ......Page 3 Copyright ......Page 4 Epigraph ......Page 5 Contents ......Page 7 Introduction: The Beginning of the Journey ......Page 11 PART I. REALITY AND UNREALITY ......Page 19 1 On What There Is ......Page 21 2 Unfinished Business: Going Bananas ......Page 39 3 How Richard Dawkins Got It Wrong: The Case Against God ......Page 47 PART II. BELIEFS ......Page 57 4 Daydream Believers ......Page 59 5 Unfinished Business ......Page 63 6 What Do Believers Believe? ......Page 73 7 On What There Obviously Is ......Page 85 8 Diogenes' Nightmare ......Page 93 PART III. KNOWLEDGE ......Page 105 9 Knowing Your Math ......Page 107 10 Unfinished Business: Hercules and the Hydra ......Page 117 11 Incomplete Thinking ......Page 123 12 The Rules of Logic and the Tale of the Potbellied Pig ......Page 129 13 The Rules of Evidence ......Page 141 14 The Limits to Knowledge ......Page 153 15 Unfinished Business: Quantum Entanglement ......Page 161 PART IV. RIGHT AND WRONG ......Page 169 16 Telling Right from Wrong ......Page 171 17 The Economist's Golden Rule ......Page 181 18 How to Be Socially Responsible: A User's Guide to the Economist's Golden Rule ......Page 189 19 On Not Being a Jerk ......Page 199 20 The Economist on the Playground ......Page 209 21 Unfinished Business: Let the Rabbi Split the Pie ......Page 223 PART V. THE LIFE OF THE MIND ......Page 233 22 How to Think ......Page 235 23 What to Study: Some Advice to College Students ......Page 255 Appendix ......Page 267 Acknowledgments ......Page 275 Index ......Page 277 About the Author ......Page 287

Steven Landsburg uses concepts from mathematics, economics, and physics to address the big questions in philosophy.

Publishers Weekly

With an folksy style and overly reductive economics, Landsburg (The Armchair Economist) solves, to his own satisfaction, a host of such philosophical problems as the limits of knowledge, what reality is and why we should reject liberal social policies based on fairness. With a founding claim that mathematical objects are “real” (albeit real in a way that is never made quite clear) the author argues for the necessity of the universe, before offering refutations of intelligent design and St. Anselm's proof for the existence of God. The possibility of knowledge is demonstrated by familiarizing the reader with a few ideas the author simply knows to be true such as Gödel's theorem and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Sections on morality and “the life of the mind” apply the “Economist's Golden Rule” to questions of right and wrong before advising the reader not to bother studying English literature. While serving up plenty of sound economics, the book falls short on the philosophy, displaying not only conceptual inconsistencies but an intolerance for the irrational dimensions of human existence. (Nov.)

Economics professor Steven Landsburg employs concepts from mathematics, economics, and physics in this sprightly tour of the deepest problems in philosophy: What is real? What can we know? Why is there something instead of nothing? And how should we live? Beginning with the broadest philosophical issues Landsburg then turns to a dazzling variety of specific applications. He gives us a mathematical analysis for arguments for the existence of God; explains the meanings of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle and Godel's incompleteness theorem; and carefully dissects the meaning of social responsibility on the playground, in the marketplace, and in the voting book. Stimulating, illuminating, and always surprising, "The Big Question" reveals the relationship between the loftier philosophical quests and our everyday lives. -- From publisher's description Draws on concepts from a variety of disciplines to address such philosophical conundrums as what is real, the nature of knowledge, and the difference between right and wrong, in a guide that bridges the gap between sophisticated philosophical debates and everyday choices. By the author of More Sex Is Safer Sex. Following his popular books "The Armchair Economist" and "More Sex Is Safer Sex", Slate columnist Landsburg uses concepts from mathematics, economics, and physics to address the big questions in philosophy