Vicious Circles and Infinity: an Anthology of Paradoxes

by Patrick Hughes, George Brecht

Ranging from ancient to modern, this anthology includes aphorisms such as Groucho Marx's infamous remark that he would refuse to join any club that would have him as a member, and traditional logical paradoxes discussed by philosophers from Zeno to Bertrand Russell.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Mathematics

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating is based on my recollection of how I felt about it when I first read it back in 1986. Something a friend posted on Facebook today reminded me that I have the book and want to re-read it. It was in this slim volume that I first learned the word "ouroboros." I savored the way the word rolled around in my mouth as much as the creepy concept of devouring oneself (which leads to the uncreepy, but equally fascinating, concept of infinity).

[Cathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't what I was expecting at all. The first half of the book i found easy to read and enjoyed the second half just dragged amd found it harder to follow, mainly as it didn't hold my interest.

also found the use of bold type distracting as felt drawn to the darker text. I enjoyed the little passeges at the top and sometimes bottoms of the page.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/888709.html[return][return]Goes through the standard paradoxes - the class of all classes that do not include themselves, Zeno, Cantor on infinity, the unexpected hanging, etc, and many variations. Slightly confusing layout in that every page has a vaguely relevant quotation at both top and bottom, which breaks up the main text rather abruptly. Mostly of interest to teenage proto-geeks, but I laughed out loud when Russell, worrying about the class of all classes that do not include themselves, confides his concerns to Whitehead, who ripostes, "never glad confident morning again!" You bastard, Whitehead, is the thought which probably went through Russell's mind.

[Amanda Ure · Rating 5 out of 5]

The read dates are guesses.

An amusing and fascinating survey of the concept and uses of infinity and infinite regression. It works quite well as a warm-up for Hofstadter's 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' as the themes are somewhat similar. It's very short but has a number of surreal illustrations. I learnt a number of concepts from this, such as the Ouroboros, as shown on the front cover. Just really fun, basically.

[Bernard Pauwels · Rating 2 out of 5]

De paradox van dit boekje is dat de beste stukken in de marge staan.
Paradoxen fascineren, tenzij er te diep wordt over nagedacht en er teveel varianten op dezelfde paradox worden beschreven en uitgelegd. Het laatste stuk, over filosofische paradoxen, is onverteerbaar door een overkill aan logische spitsvondigheden en woordkramerij.

[Froggarana · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this back in the 70s , loved it, good intro, lightweight stuff and and the one one that Bertie sent to Frege

[Michel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 84-page "Anthology" of "Paradoxes" for 9th grade scholars contains absolutely nothing new or surprising, paradoxically.
3-stars is generous, but I assumed the book was for very young readers, for whom this would be a quick-and-dirty intro to the subject.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acquired Mar 27, 2007
The Book Addict, London, Ontario

[Ton van Gessel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful collection of paradoxes. Fun to read. Arranged in short articles it's the kind of book you can read while you're waiting for the bus, having you lunch-break or have some time left.