Overview

Anyone new to philosophy soon encounters new ideas that challenge their hidden biases and cherished beliefs, or are at odds with common sense and tradition. Yet, these philosophical ideas are backed by strong arguments, arguments so strong that it’s difficult to identify what is wrong with them. Too Weird to Believe, Too Plausible to Deny: Mind-Blowing Philosophical Ideas explores these strange yet cogent ideas in 29 short, clear chapters written by some of the best philosophers alive today. Some of these ideas include: Nobody should reproduce. You are not responsible for your actions. Consciousness is in everything, everywhere. Your property doesn’t really belong to you. Absolutely anything can be art. Biases are morally good and help us understand reality. We can’t know what scientific facts are correct. Having a disability can be good for you. You should never ever lie, even to save a life. You have no moral duty to obey the law. You don’t exist because there is no self. Each chapter starts with a seemingly counterintuitive philosophical conclusion and a simple, accurate description of the underlying argument supporting the conclusion, including historical and cultural context. This is followed by an outline of objections for the purposes of conversation and debate, and a discussion of the implications of the idea, or how it may relate to the reader’s interests and attitudes. Each chapter closes with suggested readings and a list of references for readers who want to learn more about the idea.

Full Product Details

Author:   Cliff Sosis (Coastal Carolina University, USA.)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.590kg
ISBN:  

9781032763842

ISBN 10:   1032763841
Pages:   294
Publication Date:   14 October 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Introduction: Too Weird to Believe, Too Plausible to Deny Part 1: What Should We Do? 1. Having a Disability Can Be Good for You 2. Lying Is Always Wrong 3. Not Being An Evil Bastard Is Hard 4. Polyamory Is Not Cheating 5. There’s No Duty to Obey the Law 6. More Lives Better Than Good Lives 7. We Should Not Reproduce 8. Taxes Aren’t Just Theft, They’re Much Worse 9. Your Property Isn’t Really Yours 10. Ignorance Is the Foundation of Justice 11. Freedom Without Alternatives 12. We’re Not Responsible 13. It's Your Fault You’re Not Happy 14. More Than One True Morality 15. Moral Facts Are Magic Tricks Part 2: What Is True? 16. Bias Is Good 17. Against Doing Your Own Research 18. Anything Can Be Art 19. Sex Is Socially Constructed 20. Conscious Intelligent Robots Are Virtually Inevitable 21. Consciousness Is Everywhere 22. Consciousness Is Not What It Seems 23. There’s No Self 24. The Past and Future Are as Real as Now 25. We Can't Know If Scientific Theories Are Correct 26. The World Is Almost Certainly Not the Way It Seems 27. Reality Doesn’t Matter 28. Should You Believe Nothing? 29. Nothingness: The Contradiction at the Ground of Reality

Reviews

Finally, we have an introductory reader with a distinctively 21st-century orientation towards philosophy. These original essays are about timeless questions, like what counts as art, how to be happy, and what kinds of beings are conscious, and timely questions like the ethics of polyamory, or whether to have children in today’s world. Written by provocateurs who want us to radically revise our preconceptions, or defend them, this is philosophy at its best and most engaging. -- Barry Lam, Professor of Philosophy at UC Riverside, Host and Producer of Hi-Phi Nation podcast.

Author Information

Cliff Sosis is a Principal Lecturer at Coastal Carolina University, USA. He is interested in philosophy of science, metaphilosophy, and metaethics. He created and runs the website ‘What Is It Like to Be a Philosopher?’, which features in-depth autobiographical interviews with philosophers from a wide range of backgrounds.

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