101 Philosophy Questions

Author: (English) Cohen / Wu Zhongyou
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This is a best-selling philosophical reader in Europe and America, recommended by the renowned Chinese philosopher and scholar Zhou Guoping. The book uses 101 vivid and interesting stories to explain philosophical issues in life. The best way to understand what philosophy is is to engage with those questions that can be considered philosophical. This book adopts this best approach as an introduction to philosophy for beginners. It guides readers into philosophy in a novel way, listing humorous stories that embed philosophical problems, helping to lead beginners into the realm of philosophy. Written by the British Martin Cohen, "101 Philosophical Problems" is, on the surface, of course, an interesting book. Unlike other introductory books on philosophy, it does not discuss what philosophy is, the categories of philosophical thinking, a set of theoretical frameworks, or the theories of famous philosophers from around the world over thousands of years. Instead, it analyzes some questions and propositions (or so-called "cases") that may exist or have existed in life, or have been proposed in the history of philosophy, integrating the author's own thoughts with those of humanity over millennia. It allows readers to draw their own opinions, insights, or conclusions from their experiences, making it not a dry accumulation of theories but a lively and vivid perception of truth.
However, it is indeed interesting. Its interest lies in the questions it raises, which are often very intriguing. Most of these questions are full of inherent contradictions, some even absurd or inconceivable, yet we cannot deny their validity. The opening "Judgment at the Gallows," derived from a slight variation of the paradox "All Cretans are liars," is a classic example. This paradox originates from the ancient Greek philosopher Epimenides, who is said to have claimed, "All Cretans are liars." This statement seems ordinary, but what makes it extraordinary is that the person who made the statement himself was a Cretan. Thus, the question arises: Is this statement true or false? One of my former colleagues once told me something similar, saying that everything he said was false. I then asked him: So, is this statement true or false? He was caught in a dilemma. This shows that the problem, which was proposed over two thousand years ago, still arises in our daily lives today. This also proves that some philosophical problems have vitality and are endlessly thought-provoking. Similar to this is "Protagoras's Problem": Protagoras taught law, and the tuition fee was to be paid only after the student won a case. However, the student never became a lawyer, naturally, and never paid the fee. Protagoras then sued him. The judge was in a dilemma and decided to adjourn the case for 100 years. In fact, even today, the case remains unresolved. The "Campus Snack Bar Problem," which involves game theory, is even more familiar to people. The American mathematician Nash won the Nobel Prize a few years ago for his contributions to economics through his research on game theory. This all demonstrates that even small, incidents in life, when viewed through the lens of philosophy, are indeed major issues. Moreover, these problems are indeed difficult to solve, and some are even laughably absurd. The existence of these problems is the very premise of philosophy. The issue is that raising questions is one thing, but solving them is another. Regarding this, the author quotes Russell in the preface of this book: "The study of philosophy is not to find precise answers to philosophical problems." It can be said that the author does not provide clear answers to any of the questions he raises and cannot possibly do so. Instead, he guides us to think, and therefore, he does not call the discussions following each question "answers" but "discussions." This kind of thinking is philosophical, and almost every question contains traces of the thoughts of predecessors. For example, in the article "The Cow in the Pasture," I believe the author is actually discussing the problem of epistemology (or "knowing" things). In the "discussion," he not only lists the conditions for knowing something but also points out the views of 20th-century "analytic philosophy" after Plato raised the question. Finally, he concludes with the epistemology of the 16th and 17th-century French philosopher Descartes and his famous quote, "I think, therefore I am." We might take this discussion as a conclusion for the entire book. Although the questions do not have answers, the thinking about them demonstrates the existence of truth.
The author's scope of concern is undoubtedly broad, so the philosophical problems he raises are as many as 101. They cover logical paradoxes, probability, ethics, value judgments, time, individuals, medicine, religious beliefs, natural philosophy, as well as traditional philosophical problems, deceptive figures and images, and more. Some problems are so ancient, such as the "Achilles and the Tortoise" paradox in Zeno's paradoxes (which includes "The Arrow of Time"). Others are already close to our reality, such as the series of snowballing ethical issues brought about by so-called "reproductive technologies," problems in organ transplantation, the issue of computers (or robots) inheriting property, and the problem of forgeries being more famous than the real works, etc. These are the problems we face and need to solve, and perhaps they still do not have clear answers. But the author's analysis and reflections undoubtedly provide us with inspiration, helping us to expand these issues step by step and gradually approach the truth.
, as the author states, after reading this book, you will find yourself on a philosophical journey. "At the end of the journey, you will find that you know a little more than when you started."