(Vintage, 8.99)
Since Plato, philosophers have disagreed on why we should all agree on calling a cat a cat. How much does our perception of things depend on cognitive ability, and how much on knowledge of language? Eco uses 'stories' or fables, often about animals, to explain the ideas of Kant, Heidegger and Peirce. And as a beast designed specifically to throw spanners in the works of cognitive theory, the duck-billed platypus naturally takes centre stage.
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