The Weirdness of the World

”[Schwitzgebel] leads readers down a fascinating rabbit hole of metaphysics, ontology, theories of causation, and the science of cognition… . It’s an exuberant look at some of life’s biggest questions.” * Publishers Weekly *“Delightful and beautifully written… . If you have read and enjoyed the work of Nick Bostrom or Phillip Goff, then this book is definitely for you. It is brilliant, thought-provoking, and very enjoyable.”—Edouard Machery, Science“Entertaining.”—Andrew Robinson, Nature“Schwitzgebel’s combination of sharp intelligence and wonderment generates refreshingly humbling conclusions.”—Julian Baggini, Times Literary Supplement “Schwitzgebel is an entertaining writer; this book is no exception.”—Jo Edwards, Journal of Consciousness Studies“For Schwitzgebel, something is weird if it runs contrary to the conventional; something is dubious if one is not compelled to believe it from an epistemological point of view; something is bizarre if common sense cannot explain it; and an idea is wild if it is both dubious and bizarre… . Schwitzgebel takes a playful approach to these complexities, abetted by the book’s delightful illustrations.” * Choice *

Eric Schwitzgebel is professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. He is the author of A Theory of Jerks and Other Philosophical Misadventures, Perplexities of Consciousness, and Describing Inner Experience? (with Russell T. Hurlburt).