The Puzzle Instinct - The Meaning of Puzzles in Human Life

One of the most famous anagrams of all time was constructed in the Middle Ages. The unknown author contrived it as a Latin dialogue between Pilate and Jesus. Jesus answer to Pilates question "What is truth" is phrased as an ingenious anagram of the letters of that very Quid est veritas? ("What is truth?") Est virqui adest. ("It is the man before you.") The origin of anagrams is shrouded in mystery. One thing is clear, howeverin the ancient world, they were thought to contain hidden messages from the gods. Legend has it that even Alexander the Great (356323 b.c.) believed in their prophetic power. from Chapter Two The most obvious explanation for the popularity of puzzles is that they provide a form of constructive entertainment. But in The Puzzle Instinct Marcel Danesi contends that the fascination with puzzles throughout the ages suggests something much more profound. Puzzles serve a deeply embedded need in people to make sense of things. Emerging at the same time in human history as myth, magic, and the occult arts, the puzzle instinct, he claims, led to discoveries in mathematics and science, as well as revolutions in philosophical thought. Puzzles fill an existential void by providing "small-scale experiences of the large-scale questions that Life poses. The puzzle instinct is, arguably, as intrinsic to human nature as is humor, language, art, music, and all the other creative faculties that distinguish humanity from all other species." Annotation "Humans are the only animals who create and solve puzzles -- for the sheer pleasure of it -- and there is no obvious genetic reason why we would do this. Marcel Danesi explores the psychology of puzzles and puzzling, with scores of classic examples. His pioneering book is both entertaining and enlightening."--Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, The New York Times ..". Puzzle fanatics will enjoy the many riddles, illusions, cryptograms and other mind-benders offered for analysis."--Psychology Today ..". a bristlingly clear ... always intriguing survey of the history and rationale of puzzles ... [A] splendid study ..."--Knight Ridder Newspapers Publisher Fact Sheet Recalling Stephen Pinker's The Language Instinct, the author argues that humans are born with an "instinct for puzzles" that betrays a larger search for the meaning of life. This "instinct" has led to discoveries in mathematics and science, as well as revolutions in philosophical thought The great American author Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) once remarked that, for some enigmatic reason, human beings require that things be mysterious.

". . . entertaining and enlightening." -Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, The New York Times