The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten 100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher

by Baggini, Julian

• ISBN13: 9780452287440
• ISBN10: 0452287448
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-27
• Publisher: Plume

Summary

Both entertaining and startling, The Pig That Wants to Be Eatenoffers one hundred philosophical puzzles that stimulate thought on a host of moral, social, and personal dilemmas. Taking examples from sources as diverse as Plato and Steven Spielberg, author Julian Baggini presents abstract philosophical issues in concrete terms, suggesting possible solutions while encouraging readers to draw their own conclusions:Lively, clever, and thought-provoking, The Pig That Wants to Be Eatenis a portable feast for the mind that is sure to satisfy any intellectual appetite. BACKCOVER: Thinking again is what this taut, incisive, bullet-hard book is dedicated to promoting.” —The Sunday Times(London) This book is like the Sudoku of moral philosophy: apply your mind to any of its ‘thought experiments’ while stuck on the Tube, and quickly be transported out of rush-hour hell.” —New Statesman

Author Biography

JULIAN BAGGINI is the editor of The Philosopher-'s Magazine.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgements	xii
A note on sources	xiii
1. The evil demon	1	(3)
2. Beam me up...	4	(3)
3. The Indian and the ice	7	(3)
4. A byte on the side	10	(3)
5. The pig that wants to be eaten	13	(3)
6. Wheel of fortune	16	(3)
7. When no one wins	19	(3)
8. Good God	22	(3)
9. Bigger Brother	25	(3)
10. The veil of ignorance	28	(3)
11. The ship Theseus	31	(3)
12. Picasso on the beach	34	(3)
13. Black, white and red all over	37	(3)
14. Bank error in your favour	40	(3)
15. Ordinary heroism	43	(3)
16. Racing tortoises	46	(3)
17. The torture option	49	(3)
18. Rationality demands	52	(3)
19. Bursting the soap bubble	55	(3)
20. Condemned to life	58	(3)
21. Land of the Epiphens	61	(3)
22. The lifeboat	64	(3)
23. The beetle in the box	67	(3)
24. Squaring the circle	70	(3)
25. Buridan's an ass	73	(3)
26. Pain's remains	76	(3)
27. Duties done	79	(3)
28. The nightmare scenario	82	(3)
29. Life dependency	85	(3)
30. Memories are made of this	88	(3)
31. Just so	91	(3)
32. Free Simone	94	(3)
33. The free-speech booth	97	(3)
34. Don't blame me	100	(3)
35. Last resort	103	(3)
36. Pre-emptive justice	106	(3)
37. Nature the artist	109	(3)
38. I am a brain	112	(3)
39. The Chinese room	115	(3)
40. The rocking-horse winner	118	(3)
41. Getting the blues	121	(3)
42. Take the money and run	124	(3)
43. Future shock	127	(3)
44. Till death us do part	130	(3)
45. The invisible gardener	133	(3)
46. Amoebaesque	136	(3)
47. Rabbit!	139	(3)
48. Evil genius	142	(3)
49. The hole in the sum of the parts	145	(3)
50. The good bribe	148	(3)
51. Living in a vat	151	(3)
52. More or less	154	(3)
53. Double trouble	157	(3)
54. The elusive I	160	(3)
55. Sustainable development	163	(3)
56. The total perspective vortex	166	(3)
57. Eating Tiddles	169	(3)
58. Divine command	172	(3)
59. The eyes have it	175	(3)
60. Do as I say, not as I do	178	(3)
61. Mozzarella moon	181	(3)
62. I think, therefore?	184	(3)
63. No know	187	(3)
64. Nipping the bud	190	(3)
65. Soul power	193	(3)
66. The forger	196	(3)
67. The poppadom paradox	199	(3)
68. Mad pain	202	(3)
69. The horror	205	(3)
70. An inspector calls	208	(3)
71. Life support	211	(3)
72. Free Percy	214	(3)
73. Being a bat	217	(3)
74. Water, water, everywhere	220	(3)
75. The ring of Gyges	223	(3)
76. Net head	226	(3)
77. The scapegoat	229	(3)
78. Gambling on God	232	(3)
79. A Clockwork Orange	235	(3)
80. Hearts and heads	238	(3)
81. Sense and sensibility	241	(3)
82. The freeloader	244	(3)
83. The golden rule	247	(3)
84. The pleasure principle	250	(3)
85. The nowhere man	253	(3)
86. Art for art's sake	256	(3)
87. Fair inequality	259	(3)
88. Total lack of recall	262	(3)
89. Kill and let die	265	(3)
90. Something we know not what	268	(3)
91. No one gets hurt	271	(3)
92. Autogovernment	274	(3)
93. Zombies	277	(3)
94. The Sorites tax	280	(3)
95. The problem of evil	283	(3)
96. Family first	286	(3)
97. Moral luck	289	(3)
98. The experience machine	292	(3)
99. Give peace a chance?	295	(3)
100. The Nest café	298	(3)
Index	301