In Intuition Pumps, Daniel Dennett, one of the world's leading philosophers, and author of Consciousness Explained and Freedom Evolves, offers aspiring thinkers his personal trove of mind-stretching thought experiments

 

Thinking is hard. A few of us may be natural geniuses; others are blessed with reserves of willpower. Then there's the rest of us: not prodigies and short on time, but still aspiring to understand the world. What can we do? Daniel Dennett, one of the world's most original thinkers, reveals a collection of his favourite thinking tools, or 'intuition pumps'. From Occam's Razor to the benefit of mistakes, the 90% rule to avoiding 'deepitites', this entertaining guide will enable you to tackle life's most fundamental questions - evolution, meaning, consciousness and free will - and teach you to think truly independently and creatively.

 

Daniel Dennett is one of the most original and provocative thinkers in the world. A brilliant polemicist and philosopher, he is famous for challenging unexamined orthodoxies. His books include Brainstorms, Brainchildren, Elbow Room, Consciousness Explained, Darwin's Dangerous Idea and Freedom Evolves. He lives in North Andover, Massachusetts.

 

'One of the world's most original and provocative thinkers' Daily Telegraph

 

'A master class' Guardian

 

'Intelligence, insight and flair ... They don't come much bigger than Daniel Dennett' Julian Baggini, Guardian

 

'A philosopher's box of tools for the musing mind' Melvin Konner, Nature

 

'You'll enjoy and be challenged by it'Steven Rose, Guardian'A lively primer on the radical answers Mr. Dennett has elaborated to the big questions in his nearly five decades in philosophy' Jennifer Schuessler, The New York Times

 

'America's most important and entertaining philosopher' Observer