{"product_id":"perplexing-paradoxes-unraveling-enigmas-in-the-world-around-us-9780231213769","title":"Perplexing Paradoxes: Unraveling Enigmas in the World Around Us","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhy 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\"? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eExploring these questions and many more, George G. Szpiro guides readers through the puzzling world of paradoxes, from Socratic dialogues to the Monty Hall problem. \u003ci\u003ePerplexing Paradoxes\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLighthearted, witty, and conversational, \u003ci\u003ePerplexing Paradoxes\u003c\/i\u003e presents sophisticated material in an accessible way for all readers interested in the world's boundless possibilities--and impossibilities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGeorge G. Szpiro is an author and journalist who was a longtime correspondent for the Swiss daily \u003ci\u003eNeue Zürcher Zeitung\u003c\/i\u003e. His many books include \u003ci\u003eNumbers Rule: The Vexing Mathematics of Democracy, from Plato to the Present\u003c\/i\u003e (2010) and \u003ci\u003eRisk, Choice, and Uncertainty: Three Centuries of Economic Decision-Making\u003c\/i\u003e (Columbia, 2020). Szpiro was on the faculty at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50597368693010,"sku":"9780231213769","price":38.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_32febdd4-317d-4d0d-adaa-25d094a1414c.jpg?v=1732177593","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/perplexing-paradoxes-unraveling-enigmas-in-the-world-around-us-9780231213769","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}