The Puzzle Instinct

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The most obvious explanation for the popularity of puzzles is that they provide a form of constructive entertainment. But in The Puzzle Instinct Marcel Danesi contends that the fascination with puzzles throughout the ages suggests something much more profound. Puzzles serve a deeply embedded need in people to make sense of things. Emerging at the same time in human history as myth, magic, and the occult arts, the puzzle instinct, he claims, led to discoveries in mathematics and science, as well as revolutions in philosophical thought. According to Danesi, "Puzzles fill an existential void ... by providing small-scale experiences of the large-scale questions that life poses. The puzzle instinct is, arguably, as intrinsic to human nature as are humor, language, art, music, and all the other creative faculties that distinguish humanity from all other species."