Perplexing Paradoxes: Unraveling Enigmas in the World Around Us
by: George G. Szpiro (Author)
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication Date: 26 Mar. 2024
Language: English
Print Length: 360 pages
ISBN-10: 023121376X
ISBN-13: 9780231213769
Book Description
Why does it always seem like the elevator is going down when you need to go up? Is it really true that 0.99999 . . . with an infinite number of 9s after the decimal point, is equal to 1? What do tea leaves and river erosion have in common, per Albert Einstein? Does seeing a bed of red flowers help prove that all ravens are black? Can we make sense of a phrase like “this statement is unprovable”?Exploring these questions and many more, George G. Szpiro guides readers through the puzzling world of paradoxes, from Socratic dialogues to the Monty Hall problem. Perplexing Paradoxes presents sixty counterintuitive conundrums drawn from diverse areas of thought―not only mathematics, statistics, logic, and philosophy but also social science, physics, politics, and religion. Szpiro offers a brisk history of each paradox, unpacks its inner workings, and considers where one might encounter it in daily life. Ultimately, he argues, paradoxes are not simple brain teasers or abstruse word games―they challenge us to hone our reasoning and become more alert to the flaws in received wisdom and common habits of thought.Lighthearted, witty, and conversational, Perplexing Paradoxes presents sophisticated material in an accessible way for all readers interested in the world’s boundless possibilities―and impossibilities.
About the Author
Review In this breezily written book, [Szpiro] offers a brain workout that succeeds, as his subtitle has it, at 'unraveling enigmas in the world around us'... with cogent examples from economics, law, philosophy and politics.-- "The Wall Street Journal"It's no paradox that George Szpiro, author of Numbers Rule and Pricing the Future, has written another insightful, entertaining book, this time on some of the seeming absurdities that arise in philosophy, mathematics, and real life.--Barry Cipra, author of Misteaks . . . and How to Find them Before the Teacher Does: A Calculus SupplementThink you've got a fine, analytical mind? Read this book. I can't tell you how many times I paused and thought, "OK, wait a sec . . . gotta read that again." The paradoxes arising out of simple-sounding conditions were, well, mind-boggling. A must-read!--Vint Cerf, internet pioneerVery paradoxically, paradoxes have had a great influence on the evolution of knowledge. In this book, the master expositor George G. Szpiro narrates the most important ones in his inimitable gripping style, and each is followed by a crystal-clear denouement that explains, in plain English, the resolution. Like a good box of chocolates, it is better to savor each of the chapters individually, either randomly or consecutively, than to fall into the temptation of binging all of them at once. Enjoy!--Doron Zeilberger, Board of Governors Professor of Mathematics, Rutgers University
About the Author George Szpiro (Ph.D., mathematical economics and finance, Hebrew University) has for the past thirty years worked as correspondent of the Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung, which has a readership of 500k. He is the author of Kepler’s Conjecture (John Wiley, 2003), Numbers Rule (Princeton University Press, 2010) and Pricing the Future (Basic Books 2011), among others.
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