The Puzzle Instinct: The Meaning of Puzzles in Human Life
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
"This book is great fun to read and highly informative." --Raymond Smullyan
"This is a delightful and fascinating book that will surely appeal to anyone who is fascinated by, or infuriated by, mental puzzles." --Keith Devlin
Why are humans fascinated by puzzles? Puzzle-addict and renowned communication theorist Marcel Danesi takes readers on an exploration of the philosophical implications of the puzzle instinct. Puzzles are as old as humanity and the human instinct for puzzles betrays the larger perpetual search for meaning to life. Danesi not only has included many in this book to puzzle over, he explores why we like to puzzle over them as well. Among the smaller puzzles in this book are the solutions to some much larger puzzles: What is the raison dâetre that puzzles serve, why did they emerge at the same time in history as myth, magic and the occult arts, and why canât we put them down.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
About the Author
Marcel Danesi is Professor of semiotics and linguistics at the University of Toronto and Director of the Program in Semiotics and Communication Theory. He is also cross-appointed as a professor of education, having established a continuing studies mathematics program for students with difficulties in this subject. He has published widely on matters regarding learning and, more recently, on how problem solving can best be approached from the cultural angle. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1998.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
The Puzzle Instinct: The Meaning of Puzzles in Human Life,Marcel Danesi,Indiana University Press,0253217083,Games/Puzzles,General,Psychology,Puzzles
The Puzzle Instinct: The Meaning of Puzzles in Human Life
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