Customer Reviews

Labyrinths of Reason: Paradox, Puzzles, and the Frailty of Knowledge

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I had this book in hardcover when it was new (the late 1980s), but I misplaced it some time ago. Now that this paperback edition is back in print, I've bought a replacement copy and I'm glad I did.

Paradoxes are fascinating. You may not agree with Jorge Luis Borges when he speculates that paradoxes and antinomies are evidence that the "undivided divinity within us" has "dreamt the world" (although there is actually a pretty good case that something like this is so). But at any rate, a good paradox is -- to borrow a phrase that was not available when Poundstone wrote this book -- an "incongruity in the structure of the Matrix," an indication that there's _something_ subtly wrong with our intellectual take on reality, whether or not we can agree on _what's_ wrong. (In general but with rare exceptions, there isn't any widespread agreement about exactly how to resolve any of the famous paradoxes, even the ancient ones credited to Zeno of Elea.)

William Poundstone's _Labyrinths of Reason_ is as good an introduction as I know to this entire area of philosophical thought. His exposition is clear and intelligible without sacrificing either accuracy or depth, and he tackles a very broad range of philosophical puzzles, from the problems of inductive logic to NP-completeness. Moreover, he's clearly fascinated by these puzzles and he infects the reader with that fascination. If you don't like Poundstone's book, then this entire subject probably isn't your cup of tea.

If you _do_ like Poundstone's book, you'll find it a window onto what may be a whole new world (if you haven't read other books on this subject before). It's a great way to introduce yourself to mind-bending problems at the foundations of several fields: philosophy, of course (especially epistemology), but also the theory of complexity and computability, artificial intelligence, and even some aspects of theology.

Depending which features interest you most, you might go on to Douglas Hofstadter's Pulitzer Prize-winning tour-de-force _Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid_, a magical mystery tour that is primarily intended as a defense of artificial intelligence. (Can machines be conscious? Yes, Hofstadter argues, because we are such machines ourselves.) Or you may prefer to start with his _Metamagical Themas_, part of which deals with the Prisoner's Dilemma. (Robert Axelrod's _The Evolution of Cooperation_ will be a good follow-up too.)

Or you might want to read another good introductory discussion with a somewhat different "take"; in that case you'll want to consider R.M. Sainsbury's _Paradoxes_, which is aimed at arousing philosophical interest in these problems. If you want to see an attempt at a general solution of the full spectrum of paradoxes, check out Nicholas Rescher's _Paradoxes: Their Roots, Range, and Resolution_.

Or you may want to move on to logic and logic puzzles. In that case Raymond Smullyan is your man. Find used copies of _What Is the Name of This Book?, _This Book Needs No Title_, and _5000 B.C._, and/or get a new copy of _The Tao Is Silent_. Or, if you want to dive into rigorous formal logic, try his _First-Order Logic_ and then _Godel's Incompleteness Theorems_. (You may want to read Graham Priest's _Logic: A Very Short Introduction_ first.)

Or if it's the philosophical-theological aspects of infinity that got your attention, try Rudy Rucker's _Infinity and the Mind_. Rucker also deals with, and tries to resolve, some of the paradoxes discussed by Poundstone (e.g. the Berry paradox, involving "the smallest number not nameable in fewer than nineteen syllables," which is apparently an eighteen-syllable name for that very number).

Wherever you go next, if you're not already familiar with these subjects, you won't find a better introduction than Poundstone's book. If any of the above sounds interesting to you, start here.

I have to confess - I bought this book after reading Mr. Poundstone's book 'How would you move mount Fuji?' I probably never would have bought this book otherwise - and I'm glad I did.
So first of all - this is not a riddle book. Its a philosophy book trying to dismantle well know paradoxes in modern epistemology. It's not revolutionary in any way, but it collects its ideas from good sources and gives a nice and coherent view of the topic and the field.
I would recommend this book only to people willing to read slowly and think about what they read. The journey is not easy - but Mr. Poundstone would get you to your destination every time.

I would like to buy copies for several friends. The author examines common paradoxes in order to illumine various problems of knowledge. The chapter titles speak for themselves: The Unknowable, Belief, The Impossible, Infinity, NP-Completeness, Omnisicience. A wonderful and comprehensible introduction to some of the knottiest and important problems of science, philosophy, even theology. Recomended.

I love this book and will have to buy another copy one day because I lent mine out and never saw it again. I imagine its making its way hand to hand leaving little of bits of knowledge everywhere. This book is an excellent introduction to philosophy: the twin paradox, prisoner's dilemna.. its' all here. I would recommend this for anyone who uses their brain to solve problems for a living. It's good exercise for the brain!

This is an excellently-written, thoroughly engrossing book. You'll be torn between pausing to ponder what Poundtsone has said and reading on without interruption. Poundstone writes about both well-known and arcane paradoxes, thought experiments and philosophical theories. This book will not only change what you think; it will change how you think

I enjoyed this book, but one should realize the audience for this work. I was a novcie to logic when I read this book and felt quite satisfied with the content and structure.

Labytinths does not overwhelm the reader; it introduces a fair amout of classic logic problems, scenarios, etc. Many of the examples offered would serve well in a high school math class.

This collection of paradoxes and mind-tickling puzzles is well worth a read. This was one of my first ventures into the world of philosophic literature, and I found it to be a great start. Although I do not accept all of Poundstone's explanations, I found many to be amazingly intelligent.

Though LoR covers well-worn ground, it does so both ably and entertainingly. The paradoxes Poundstone discusses are of the ages and for the ages; as long as humans think, they will never cease to fascinate, confound, and inspire. Anyone interested in language and reasoning and the relationship between mind and the external "objective" world will find much to chew on between the covers of LoR. LoR provides a gentle introduction to some very difficult topics in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of science. It is well worth a read.

This is a fun book on logic, pardoxes and puzzles. It's a good mental tune-up and reminder of the limits of what we think we know. Poundstone is an entertaining writer who knows how to take us through the logical steps without making feel like work.

I first read this book 15 years ago, and it has been an integral part in shaping my views on knowledge. How do we know what we know? Why do we believe what we believe? And are there basic things about the universe that we still haven't pieced together? The book is a great primer that will push interested readers on a path of thinking about epistemology and its place in science.