The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten

A collection of one hundred short thought experiments, each set out in a page or so and followed by a brief discussion. The title case comes from Douglas Adams's The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, in which an animal has been bred to want to be eaten and recommends cuts of itself to diners; Baggini uses it to ask whether consent removes the moral problem with eating meat. The other ninety-nine cases are drawn from classic philosophy, science fiction, film and everyday life. They cover knowledge and scepticism, as in versions of Descartes's evil demon; personal identity, as in teleporters that destroy and rebuild a person; free will and responsibility; questions of life, death and rescue; rationality and probability; and art and value. Baggini does not hand down verdicts. He sets out what each scenario seems to show, adds a complicating point, and gives the source of the original case, leaving readers to decide for themselves.

Thought experiments are how philosophers test ideas, and this book lets a beginner practise that skill in short, memorable puzzles that are ideal for discussion.