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Wittgenstein's Beetle (and other classic thought experiments)
Encyclopedia
Wittgenstein's Beetle is a book by Martin Cohen
, perhaps better known for his popular introductions to philosophy, such as 101 Philosophy Problems
. It was selected by The Guardian
as one of its 'books of the week' and was reviewed in Times Literary Supplement which said that "With its sense of history, Wittgenstein's Beetle provides the opportunity to consider which thought experiments last."
The book is essentially an introduction to the use of the thought experiment
technique in both science and philosophy. To this purpose, it offers a selection of historical examples of how the technique has been used, presented in an A-Z format, together with a brief overview of the history of the method itself.
The full title of the book is Wittgenstein's Beetle and Other Classic Thought Experiments, but, according to the author, it was originally supposed to have been called 'The Beetle, the Bucket and the Body-Exchange Machine' - which gives a better idea of what it is really about. "The Beetle" refers to Wittgenstein's Beetle thought experiment, which is an attempt to understand how words are used in ordinary language; "the Bucket" is a reference to Newton's bucket, Isaac Newton
's argument to prove the presence of absolute space; and the "Body-Exchange Machine" is a reference to an old philosophical concern of what is it that makes a person who they are. As the books says, this can be seen as early as in John Locke's
problem of the Prince and the Pauper. Another major theme is Galileo's use of the technique, such as the "much misunderstood" falling balls experiment, which Cohen sees as central to the development of modern science.
Complex Character Chinese edition (Rye Field Publications); Italian edition (Carocci Editore); Korean edition (Seokwangsa);
Simplified Character Chinese edition (Shandong Education Press).
Martin Cohen (philosopher)
Martin Cohen is a British philosopher, an editor and reviewer who writes on philosophy, philosophy of science and political philosophy....
, perhaps better known for his popular introductions to philosophy, such as 101 Philosophy Problems
101 Philosophy Problems
101 Philosophy Problems is a book by Martin Cohen published by Routledge in 1999. It has had three English editions and been translated into German, Dutch, Greek, Estonian, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and other languages. The German translation has alone run to three editions,...
. It was selected by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as one of its 'books of the week' and was reviewed in Times Literary Supplement which said that "With its sense of history, Wittgenstein's Beetle provides the opportunity to consider which thought experiments last."
The book is essentially an introduction to the use of the thought experiment
Thought experiment
A thought experiment or Gedankenexperiment considers some hypothesis, theory, or principle for the purpose of thinking through its consequences...
technique in both science and philosophy. To this purpose, it offers a selection of historical examples of how the technique has been used, presented in an A-Z format, together with a brief overview of the history of the method itself.
The full title of the book is Wittgenstein's Beetle and Other Classic Thought Experiments, but, according to the author, it was originally supposed to have been called 'The Beetle, the Bucket and the Body-Exchange Machine' - which gives a better idea of what it is really about. "The Beetle" refers to Wittgenstein's Beetle thought experiment, which is an attempt to understand how words are used in ordinary language; "the Bucket" is a reference to Newton's bucket, Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
's argument to prove the presence of absolute space; and the "Body-Exchange Machine" is a reference to an old philosophical concern of what is it that makes a person who they are. As the books says, this can be seen as early as in John Locke's
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
problem of the Prince and the Pauper. Another major theme is Galileo's use of the technique, such as the "much misunderstood" falling balls experiment, which Cohen sees as central to the development of modern science.
Book editions
There are a number of foreign editions including:Complex Character Chinese edition (Rye Field Publications); Italian edition (Carocci Editore); Korean edition (Seokwangsa);
Simplified Character Chinese edition (Shandong Education Press).