1st Edition

Too Weird to Believe, Too Plausible to Deny Mind-Blowing Philosophical Ideas

Edited By Cliff Sosis Copyright 2026
320 Pages
by Routledge

320 Pages
by Routledge

320 Pages
by Routledge

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... Read more

Introduction: Too Weird to Believe, Too Plausible to Deny

Part 1: What Should We Do?

1. Having a Disability Can Be Good for You

Joseph A. Stramondo

2. Lying Is Always Wrong

Krista K. Thomason

3. Not Being An Evil Bastard Is Hard

Alastair Norcross

4. Polyamory Is Not Cheating

Carrie Jenkins

5. There’s No Duty to Obey the Law

Jason Brennan

6. More Lives Better Than Good Lives

Jesper Ryberg

7. We Should Not Reproduce

David Benatar

8. Taxes Aren’t Just Theft, They’re Much Worse

Adam Moore

9. Your Property Isn’t Really Yours

Christine Sypnowich

10. Ignorance Is the Foundation of Justice

Marcus Arvan

11. Freedom Without Alternatives

Michael McKenna

12. We’re Not Responsible

Neil Levy

13. It's Your Fault You’re Not Happy

Massimo Pigliucci

14. More Than One True Morality

David B. Wong

15. Moral Facts Are Magic Tricks

Victor Moberger

Part 2: What Is True?

16.  Bias Is Good

Louise Antony

17.  Against Doing Your Own Research

Jonathan Matheson

18.  Anything Can Be Art

Alex King

19.  Sex Is Socially Constructed

Kevin Richardson

20.  Conscious Intelligent Robots Are Virtually Inevitable

Pete Mandik

21.  Consciousness Is Everywhere

Luke Roelofs

22.  Consciousness Is Not What It Seems

Keith Frankish

23.  There Is No Self

Monima Chadha

24.  The Past and Future Are as Real as Now

Heather Dyke

25.  We Can't Know If Scientific Theories Are Correct

Angela Potochnik and Dana Tulodziecki

26.  The World Is Almost Certainly Not the Way It Seems

Cliff Sosis

27.  Reality Doesn’t Matter

Felipe De Brigard

28.  Should You Believe Nothing?

Juan Comesaña

29.  Nothingness: The Contradiction at the Ground of Reality

Graham Priest

Biography

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.

“A mind-bending collection of brief, plausible arguments for a wide variety of unusual philosophical views, by an impressive range of contributors. If it doesn't rouse you from your dogmatic slumbers, you must be deeply asleep. It will inspire you to rethink the reasons behind your implicit "common sense" assumptions about ethics and the nature of reality.”

-- Eric Schwitzgebel, Professor of Philosophy at UC Riverside, USA.

“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, USA. Host and Producer of Hi-Phi Nation podcast.

“Each of the essays in this highly readable collection argues for a conclusion that takes us beyond the comforts of common sense. Although the essays are all written by contemporary philosophers, the style they adopt, no doubt due to the editor, is vividly accessible, delightfully jargon-free and engaging. Even if you reject their conclusions, their arguments will force you to work hard in your rejection, deepening your perspective on your own convictions. A brilliant celebration of philosophical courage and the unfamiliar places that reason can take us when we refuse to look away.”

-- Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away.

“One of the most enjoyable and thought-provoking philosophy books of recent times. Too Weird to Believe gathers some of the most radical philosophical ideas ever, each defended by contemporary philosophers with careful, intelligent, and easy to understand arguments. If you want to be challenged, and have your mind blown, make sure you get a copy.”

-- Philip Goff, Professor of Philosophy, Durham University, UK.

“Clifford Sosis has put together a wonderful anthology consisting of first-rate philosophers arguing effectively against things most of us are inclined to believe. If you are naturally disagreeable, uncooperative, and skeptical of everything that makes organized society possible, this book can be your bible. If you teach philosophy, it can make a wonderful book for a wide variety of courses, from introductory classes to graduate seminars.”

-- John Perry, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Stanford and UC Riverside, USA.