3.95/5
Author: Daniel C. Dennett
Publication Date: May 5, 2014
Formats: PDF,Paperback,Hardcover,Kindle,Audible Audiobook,MP3 CD
Rating: 3.95/5 out of 3562
Publisher: W. W. Norton
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Jul 15, 2013
I had to quit after 68 pages. Dennett apparently had a class of freshmen review this book - I wish he would have had a couple actual philosophers review it as well. If you have an understanding of philosophy and basic thinking tools, this book is not for you. If you already are an independent thinker, this book is not for you. If you are easily impressed by name-dropping and misleading examples, this book is for you.May 07, 2013
"Intuition pumps and other tools for thinking" is a mixed bag of goods. Dont let the title fool you: this books is less about "thinking tools" than it is about Daniel Dennet's favorite philosophical thought experiments. Dennet devotes a short and wanting section to general 'thinking tools' (think Okhams razor), but otherwise spends the majority of your time laying out his personal ideas concerning evolution, meaning, mind, and free will.Apr 22, 2013
If you've read other Dennett masterpieces, you come away thinking both that the man is a genius and that he's a genius that tends to ramble on. That is not the case in his latest work. He combines many of his previous ideas and some new thoughts into this volume of brief insightful chapters.May 25, 2013
An intuition pump is a thought experiment or similar cognitive "device" designed to elicit answers to difficult philosophical problems. In --Intuition Pumps And Other Tools For Thinking-- Dennett uses his favorite intuition pumps to (sort of) dismantle difficult philosophical questions such as: evolution, meaning, mind, and free will.Dec 04, 2014
I have enjoyed reading Dennett long before he became one of the four horsemen. I discovered him in the nineties and enjoyed his take on evolution and the mind-body problem as well as the problem of consciousness. He is a good writer and clear. He is also probably the least abrasive of the new atheists. He writes in an enjoyable way about deep topics in the philosophy of mind, evolution, and religion. I don't agree with him on consciousness. I think the hard problem can't be dissolved away as I have enjoyed reading Dennett long before he became one of the four horsemen. I discovered him in the nineties and enjoyed his take on evolution and the mind-body problem as well as the problem of consciousness. He is a good writer and clear. He is also probably the least abrasive of the new atheists. He writes in an enjoyable way about deep topics in the philosophy of mind, evolution, and religion. I don't agree with him on consciousness. I think the hard problem can't be dissolved away as Dennett suggests but I also like engaging with his arguments. This book is a summation of his earlier works in a single volume digestible form. If you are not familiar with Dennett this would be a good book to start.Nov 30, 2013
Reading this book is basically like reading Daniel Dennett in blog format.Oct 12, 2013
It's ironic that Dennett concludes his book with a chapter on why philosophy is still valuable, because halfway through it I was starting to toy with the idea that the world would be better off if philosophy departments all over it were shut down and its inhabitants told to find a real job :-) But first, a disclaimer: I am firmly in the positivist camp, Dan is basically preaching to the choir here. Only he's doing it badly.May 26, 2013
I liked this well enough. Dennett can write clearly and engagingly. But I never got over the nasty taste in my mouth induced by some really mean-spirited drive-by ad hominem assassination of someone I guess Dennett still holds a shiv for -- Stephen Jay Gould. The odd thing is that, on the issues in question, intellectually I would side with Dennett rather than Gould. But continuing to attack an opponent after the person in question is dead and in no position to mount a defence strikes me as I liked this well enough. Dennett can write clearly and engagingly. But I never got over the nasty taste in my mouth induced by some really mean-spirited drive-by ad hominem assassination of someone I guess Dennett still holds a shiv for -- Stephen Jay Gould. The odd thing is that, on the issues in question, intellectually I would side with Dennett rather than Gould. But continuing to attack an opponent after the person in question is dead and in no position to mount a defence strikes me as being both unnecessarily shrill and betraying an unattractive insecurity of his own at some level.Nov 30, 2014
As clearly advertised on the front cover, this is a book about "tools for thinking"and, yes, the first 12 chapters, out of 77, are devoted precisely to that.Oct 26, 2014
A very interesting book, though Dennett could certainly have stood to tighten up the prose and organize it better. I think the title also doesn't reflect the contents of the book very well. The book describes Dennett's theories of the philosophy of mind, using what he calls "intuition pumps". An intuition pump is basically a thought experiment, designed to poke/pump your intuitions about a topic, like Einstein's clock thought experiments or Searle's Chinese Room argument. I sort of dislike the A very interesting book, though Dennett could certainly have stood to tighten up the prose and organize it better. I think the title also doesn't reflect the contents of the book very well. The book describes Dennett's theories of the philosophy of mind, using what he calls "intuition pumps". An intuition pump is basically a thought experiment, designed to poke/pump your intuitions about a topic, like Einstein's clock thought experiments or Searle's Chinese Room argument. I sort of dislike the term (I think thought experiment is a better and more standard term), but it's still a good book.Jan 04, 2017
Didn't finish bc tons of unnecessary acerbic ad hominem attacks on Gould started to get very annoying. Superficial otherwise too.Jun 12, 2018
This is a very interesting and clever book. Critics will complain the author has an agenda. Others will recognize this agenda as narrative. The author does an excellent job choosing intuition pumps to make his point while providing a narrative to tie it all altogether in a readable package. You don't have to believe it, you can simply regard it as information. But you could also re-frame your current beliefs by devaluing their truth while regarding them simply as information too. Throughout this This is a very interesting and clever book. Critics will complain the author has an agenda. Others will recognize this agenda as narrative. The author does an excellent job choosing intuition pumps to make his point while providing a narrative to tie it all altogether in a readable package. You don't have to believe it, you can simply regard it as information. But you could also re-frame your current beliefs by devaluing their truth while regarding them simply as information too. Throughout this book, the author leads us to conclusions but sometimes leaves it up to the reader to make the relevant connections for ourselves. His take on freewill is different than I've read before and I enjoyed it.Jul 18, 2016
This was a great primer to philosophy to the novice. Dennett uses some clever thinking tools to cut to the heart of some classic problems in philosophy. I especially liked his take-down of the idea that free will depends on non-determinism.Mar 15, 2020
First off, the title is a misnomer -- a clickbait of sorts. The discussion on intuition pumps lasts 40 pages (more on that later). The rest of it is tearing apart often ridiculous (to me at least) philosophical positions other philosophers had such as insisting on consciousness and free will are a black and white thing (false dichotomy). For instance, here is one on "understanding", which is a center piece target of Dennett's criticism and is the so-called Chinese Room thought experiment.Apr 29, 2013
Daniel C. Dennett cites himself a lot. Just sayin'.Jul 22, 2017
I stayed with it until Consciousness, where I lost mine several times before limping to the end. The title is a misnomer; it is not a handy guide to navigating your decisions in life, etc, or even a practical 80 steps to improving your mind. It is a series of short chapters of philosophical tidbits designed to introduce as much of Dennett's own nomenclature as possible to see what sticks (immortality!), and in the meantime showing how terribly misguided his fellow philosophers are, supported by I stayed with it until Consciousness, where I lost mine several times before limping to the end. The title is a misnomer; it is not a handy guide to navigating your decisions in life, etc, or even a practical 80 steps to improving your mind. It is a series of short chapters of philosophical tidbits designed to introduce as much of Dennett's own nomenclature as possible to see what sticks (immortality!), and in the meantime showing how terribly misguided his fellow philosophers are, supported by lots of references to his own work. I've never read a book that references its own author so frequently. In general, it made my head hurt, and paralysed me from reading other things until I had stubbornly finished it. For which I hate it. Especially for taking advantage of my good nature and forcing me to slog through how computer programs work. Did I add I hated it? I've read other Dennett books, but I think I will stop now. He's clever, I get it. ...moreFeb 17, 2016
What a mind... Dennett is that rarest of beings: a philosopher who presents his ideas undumbed down, and with crystal clarity, for a lay readership. Not only does he respect his untrained readers, he genuinely strives to educate them and to spur their own deeper learning and inquiry. The long and the short is this: every time I finish one of his books, I am (I think) smarter than I was when I began. It's amazing how much food for thought Dennett packs between the covers of each, and how artfully What a mind... Dennett is that rarest of beings: a philosopher who presents his ideas undumbed down, and with crystal clarity, for a lay readership. Not only does he respect his untrained readers, he genuinely strives to educate them and to spur their own deeper learning and inquiry. The long and the short is this: every time I finish one of his books, I am (I think) smarter than I was when I began. It's amazing how much food for thought Dennett packs between the covers of each, and how artfully he composes them. In addition to being a first-rate thinker, Dennett is a superb stylist. And so I say, of yet another Dennett title: I loved it! Here's hoping Dennett has many years of writing still to come. ...moreOct 03, 2014
Summary: There's a lot of interesting stuff here if you can struggle through it and are prepared to put in some hard thinking time over it (which you should be, if you're reading a book on philosophy). It's like taking a journey which you have heard is arduous but rewarding. However in this case the journey is also uneven and sometimes tedious, and your companion won't stop playing a Spice Girls medley on the kazoo.Jul 31, 2013
I won't plagiarize another reviewer by pointing any prospective reader of Dennett's book to Sturgeon's Law, but for those listening: consult Sturgeon's Law.Sep 21, 2013
Date first finished: 21 September 2013May 21, 2013
This introduces itself as a collection of tricks and tips for philosophical reasoning. What is an essay papering over a gap? What makes a good thought experiment? When faced with one of the classic philosopher's parables (the Chinese Room, the Duplicating Teleporter) how do you figure out whether it's leading your intuition in a useful direction or only distracting you from the point?May 07, 2018
Favorite sections include all/most of Section II: A Donzen General Thinking Tools - a clear set of tools to go out into the world with. "Rather"|"Surely" (ding!) And the following favorite chapters include: Murder in Trafalgar Square, Manifest Image and Scientific Image, The Intentional Stance, The Sorta Operator, The Library of Mendel: Vast and Vanishing, The Zombic Hunch, Zombies and Zimboes, and Heterophenomenology. Dennett is a writer that leads me to believe that I have some kind of Favorite sections include all/most of Section II: A Donzen General Thinking Tools - a clear set of tools to go out into the world with. "Rather"|"Surely" (ding!) And the following favorite chapters include: Murder in Trafalgar Square, Manifest Image and Scientific Image, The Intentional Stance, The Sorta Operator, The Library of Mendel: Vast and Vanishing, The Zombic Hunch, Zombies and Zimboes, and Heterophenomenology. Dennett is a writer that leads me to believe that I have some kind of adult/reading version of ADD. My ability to focus on what he's saying drops dramatically compared with other philosophy readings for some reason. This isn't to say that the writing is bad, I just know now to not read Dennett when I have a lot on my mind. The advice to philosophy students in the ending chapters is honest, and I think it is advice carefully given ..."[D]on't count on the validation of your fellow graduate students or your favorite professors to settle the issue [the issue about whether or not you're doing philosophy "right" or if it's the "career for you."] They all have vested interest in keeping the enterprise going. It's what they know how to do; it's what they are good at. This is a problem in other fields too, and it can be even harder to break out of. (...) My point is that you should not settle complacently into a seat on the bandwagon just because you have found some brilliant fellow travelers who find your work on the issue as unignorable as you find theirs. You may all be taking each other for a ride." (p.422 - 424.) ...moreMay 15, 2018
Dennett collects in this book an interesting inventory of special thought experiments defined by him as intuition pumps. The definition he proposes goes along with what they really do to you: pump your intuition up. They kind guide your thinking towards the core of the subject matter dealt with.May 07, 2013
Somehow I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I was expecting to. What was I expecting? I dunno... a textbook on critical thinking written from the perspective of a philosopher? A list of important human mental techniques that an ideal AI should contain?Jan 23, 2015
As usual Daniel Dennett has written another good book. There's a lot to think about in this one. He covers various ways philosophers use to sharpen their thinking--a very admirable collection. He seemed to use the tools for thought, intuition pumps he calls them to make points about some of his favorite topics, such as, consciousness, artificial intelligence, evolution, and free will. I have to say that I disagreed with or had questions about some of what he wrote, which is a good thing to have, As usual Daniel Dennett has written another good book. There's a lot to think about in this one. He covers various ways philosophers use to sharpen their thinking--a very admirable collection. He seemed to use the tools for thought, “intuition pumps” he calls them to make points about some of his favorite topics, such as, consciousness, artificial intelligence, evolution, and free will. I have to say that I disagreed with or had questions about some of what he wrote, which is a good thing to have, especially when reading philosophy. Unfortunately, I can't recall any at the time of writing this review. For the most part, the book was thought provoking and was enjoyable to read. ...moreTake your time and choose the perfect book.
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