Gives a presentation of an 'A to Z' of 26 thought experiments from philosophy and science. This work presents discussion of the experiments, including strengths and weaknesses, historical context, and contemporary uses. It includes illustrations, mini-biographies and suggestions for further reading.

"Wittgenstein's Beetle and Other Classic Thought Experiments" invites readers to participate actively in discovering the surprisingly powerful and fruitful tradition of 'thought experiments'. This work: gives a lively presentation of an 'A to Z' of 26 fascinating and influential thought experiments from philosophy and science; presents vivid and often humorous discussion of the experiments, including strengths and weaknesses, historical context, and contemporary uses; provides a 'how to' section for engaging in thought experiments; and, includes illustrations, mini-biographies, and suggestions for further reading.

List of Figures.
Forward!.
Introduction: Deep Thought -- a brief history of thought experiments.
The A-Z.
A is for Alice and Astronomers Arguing about Acceleration.
B is for Bernard's Body-Exchange Machine.
C is for the Catholic Cannibal.
D is for Maxwell's Demon.
E is for Evolution (and an Embarrassing Problem with it).
F. is for the Forms Lost Forever to the Prisoners of the Cave.
G is for Galileo's Gravitational Balls.
H. is for the Hume's Shades.
I is for the Identity of Indiscernible.
J is for Henri Poincare and Alternative Geometries.
K is for the Kritik and Kant's Kind of Thought Experiments.
L is for Lucretius' Spear.
M is for Mach's Motionless Chain.
N is for Newton's Bucket.
O is for Olber's Paradox.
P is for Parfit's Person.
Q is for the Questions Raised by Thought Experiments Quotidiennes.
R is for the Rule-Ruled Room.
S is for Salvatius' Ship, Sailing along its own Space-Time Line.
T is for the time-Traveling Twins.
U is for the Universe, and Einstein's Attempts to Understand it.
V is for the Vexed Case of the Violinist.
W is for Wittgenstein's Beetle.
X is for Xenophanes and Thinking by Examples.
Y is for Counterfactuals and a Backwards Approach to History.
Z is for Zeno and the Mysteries of Infinity.
Notes for Experimenters.
How to Experiment.
Notes and Cuttings.
Who's Eho of Experimenting.
Acknowledgements.
Index.