A mind-bending collection of brief, plausible arguments for a wide variety of unusual philosophical views, by an impressive range of contributors. If it doesn't rouse you from your dogmatic slumbers, you must be deeply asleep. It will inspire you to rethink the reasons behind your implicit "common sense" assumptions about ethics and the nature of reality.
-- Eric Schwitzgebel, Professor of Philosophy at UC Riverside, USA.
Finally, we have an introductory reader with a distinctively 21st-century orientation towards philosophy. These original essays are about timeless questions, like what counts as art, how to be happy, and what kinds of beings are conscious, and timely questions like the ethics of polyamory, or whether to have children in todays world. Written by provocateurs who want us to radically revise our preconceptions, or defend them, this is philosophy at its best and most engaging.
-- Barry Lam, Professor of Philosophy at UC Riverside, USA. Host and Producer of Hi-Phi Nation podcast.
Each of the essays in this highly readable collection argues for a conclusion that takes us beyond the comforts of common sense. Although the essays are all written by contemporary philosophers, the style they adopt, no doubt due to the editor, is vividly accessible, delightfully jargon-free and engaging. Even if you reject their conclusions, their arguments will force you to work hard in your rejection, deepening your perspective on your own convictions. A brilliant celebration of philosophical courage and the unfamiliar places that reason can take us when we refuse to look away.
-- Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Wont Go Away.
One of the most enjoyable and thought-provoking philosophy books of recent times. Too Weird to Believe gathers some of the most radical philosophical ideas ever, each defended by contemporary philosophers with careful, intelligent, and easy to understand arguments. If you want to be challenged, and have your mind blown, make sure you get a copy.
-- Philip Goff, Professor of Philosophy, Durham University, UK.
Clifford Sosis has put together a wonderful anthology consisting of first-rate philosophers arguing effectively against things most of us are inclined to believe. If you are naturally disagreeable, uncooperative, and skeptical of everything that makes organized society possible, this book can be your bible. If you teach philosophy, it can make a wonderful book for a wide variety of courses, from introductory classes to graduate seminars.
-- John Perry, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Stanford and UC Riverside, USA.
