Insurmountable Simplicities

Roberto Casati and Achille Varzi. Translated by Achille Varzi

Why do mirrors seem to invert left and right but not up and down? How do we know whether strawberries taste the same for everyone? Where is it written that we must observe the law, and if it is not written, why should we observe it? What if we could swap brains-or the rest of our bodies? "Insurmountable Simplicities" is filled with captivating and inventive stories, dialogues, and epistolary exchanges that illuminate the many philosophical conundrums of everyday life. Clear, concise, and intellectually engaging, this internationally acclaimed book covers a range of themes, such as personal identity, causality and responsibility, fortune, the nature of things, the paradoxes of time and space, and the interplay between logic and language, and brilliantly demonstrates that the beauty of philosophy resides in its engagement with the simplicities of the world, insurmountable as they might initially appear.

Room 88About a Useless ProjectThe Poet as a Young ManThe Chain of Events Leading Up to the GoalZombie, Inc. Sleeping PillsPartial AmnesiaPerson TransplantMy Ice Cream, Your Ice CreamPlaying Lotto in Reverse CityLucky NumbersThe Invisible DisorderA Missive from the Bell-RingerSparkling Bubbles Dates of BirthFour-Seasons IslandLost Beauty SpotsHic Sunt LeonesReflectionsThe Last Case of the President of AmoebasThe Hidden StatueA Cupboard in PiecesHolter MonitorRow 13Train CancelledSatellitesVerbatimThe Intelligent DictionaryThe Traveler's PictionaryInk MarksForced ChoicesWhat Does the Majority Want?Law Number OneProud To Be ThirdThe Placebo EffectInteresting!Self-Reference Self-ExplainedThe Surprise VisitA Risky CakeCodaUniversal AcidNote