It was selected by The Guardian as one of its "books of the week"[1] and was reviewed in Times Literary Supplement which said that "With its sense of history, Wittgenstein's Beetle provides the opportunity to consider which thought experiments last.

"[2] The book is essentially an introduction to the use of the thought experiment technique in both science and philosophy.

To this purpose, it offers a selection of historical examples of how the technique has been used, presented in an A–Z format, together with a brief overview of the history of the method itself.

As the book says, this[clarification needed] can be seen as early as in John Locke's problem of the Prince and the Pauper.

Another major theme is Galileo's use of the technique, such as the "much misunderstood" falling balls experiment, which Cohen sees as central to the development of modern science.