The Puzzle Instinct: The Meaning of Puzzles in Human Life

''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 dГўetre that puzzles serve, why did they emerge at the same time in history as myth, magic and the occult arts, and why canГўt we put them down.