Routledge Companion to Thought Experiments

<p>Thought experiments are a means of imaginative reasoning that lie at the heart of philosophy from the pre-Socratics to the modern era and they also play central roles in a range of fields from physics to politics. <i>The Routledge Companion to Thought Experiments</i> is an invaluable guide and reference source to this multifaceted subject. Comprising over 30 chapters by a team of international contributors the <em>Companion </em>covers the following important areas:</p><p></p><p>· the history of thought experiments from antiquity to the trolley problem and quantum non-locality;</p><p></p><p>· thought experiments in the humanities arts and sciences including ethics physics theology biology mathematics economics and politics;</p><p></p><p>· theories about the nature of thought experiments;</p><p></p><p>· new discussions concerning the impact of experimental philosophy cross-cultural comparison studies metaphilosophy computer simulations idealization dialectics cognitive science the artistic nature of thought experiments and metaphysical issues.</p><p></p><p>This broad ranging <em>Companion </em>goes backwards through history and sideways across disciplines. It also engages with philosophical perspectives from empiricism rationalism naturalism skepticism pluralism contextualism and neo-Kantianism to phenomenology. This volume will be valuable for anyone studying the methods of philosophy or any discipline that employs thought experiments as well as anyone interested in the power and limits of the mind.</p>