Product Description
Lucid, non-intimidating presentation of propositional logic, propositional calculus and predicate logic by Russian scholar. Topics of concern in a variety of fields, including computer science, systems analysis, linguistics, etc. Accessible to high school students; valuable review of fundamentals for professionals. Exercises (no solutions). Preface. Three appendices. Indices. Bibliogaphy. 14 figures.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Awesome
the package came just as better than promised. This being an old book can be said o be a new one.

Not for beginners
Logic has an elegant simplicity to it that this author tries valiantly to capture, but fails. If one is already acquainted with propositional and predicate calculus, this is a joy to read for its elegance (something often attributed to Mates, but I think erroneously). This is a second-course, not a first encounter, text. But once the foundations of logical theory are laid, this is worthy of beholding the same concepts from a purely mathematical perspective. ... Read more

Product Description
This long-awaited book replaces not one but both of Hughes and Cresswell's two previous classic studies of modal logic: An Introduction to Modal Logic and A Companion to Modal Logic.A New Introduction to Modal Logic is an entirely new work, completely rewritten by the authors to incorporate all the new developments that have taken places since 1968 both in modal propositional logical and modal predicate logic, but without sacrificing the clarity of exposition and approachability that were essential features of the earlier works. The book takes readers through the most basic systems of modal prepositional logic right up to systems of modal predicate with identity.It deals with both technical developments such as completeness and incompleteness, and finite and infinite models, and discusses philosophical applications, especially, in the area of modal predicate logic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Watch what printing you buy
This is the best introduction to modal logic for all but very experienced logic students. However, the first printing (ISBN 0-415-12599-5 (hbk), 0-415-12600-2 (pbk)) has many annoying errors, especially in the exercises. Make sure to get a later printing. Right now I see only the very expensive hardbound edition, and only the error-loaded first printing, on the Amazon website.

Pleasant and Thorough
This book is the best introduction to Modal Logic I know, and it is great for reference too. It gives a general survey of modal propositional and even modal predicate logic (this latter is pretty difficult and rarely presented in introductory books). There is one feature of this book that I really love: the authors try to present everything without supposing anything on the part of the readers. I really suffer when I get a book that supposes that strange type of pre-requisite that appears to be everything minus the subject that is being presented - and sometimes the author even supposes that you have already met his subject before! Hughes and Cresswell write in a pleasant pace, sometimes repeating themselves, but this is good for educational purposes. I like their analogies: the presentation of K-validity as a modal game is really superb. They do not exagerate with mathematical formalisms, using only when indispensable, and this is good for the non-mathematician. I recommend it for every reader interested in logic in general, mathematicians or philosophers.

slow and painful
If you have never studied logic, this is the book for you.But if you have, find something else.This book is slow and it spends too much time on the deductive system in propositional logic.Tedious.

OK, but Hard to Wade Through
Hughes and Cresswell (sounds like a deli sandwich, unfortunately) have written what is probably the best introduction to modal logic on the market.They are clear, orderly, organized--but they don't provide thestudent with anything to make his or her foray into the subject any morepleasant.It's a text for logicians-to-be with excessive-compulsivedisorders; that would be most, but not everyone.The authors would do wellto reformat their text, but the content is superb. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Hmmm
While it is true that the book concentrates heavily on one person's perspective, some aspects of that perspective aren't exactly outlandish opinions.While Hanley's views about hybrid cars seem a little contrived, his opinions about homosexuality and religion seem fairly well thought out.

If you bought this book to giggle at references from the show, you are probably better off just owning the seasons and watching them, and if the "South Park" in the title was what brought you to become interested in philosophy in the first place, then you have a long way to go.

I learned something today...
...that is I wasted my money. I bought the book on a whim while Christmas shopping, and being a fan of the show thought this could be interesting. Big mistake.

The author(s) pretty much takes the show's quotes or scenes out of context, or only selects the part that validates his point. In particular the section on religion, he cites numerous passages "proving" there is no God -- and "this has to be" Stone and Parker's point, however, he completely omits any references supporting their (Stone and Parker, whatever that may be) religious beliefs. For instance the episode where God actually appears, Jesus realizes that if God spent all His time answering everyone's prayers, life would be boring because all of our problems would be solved. Somehow that reference did not find its way into any essay even though it was the "I learned something today" moment of the episode (i.e. the core idea).

Then the refusal that the show could have any hint of conservatism or more importantly libertarian slant is just impossible because this guy said thinks its all about liberalism. Did I mention you are instantly wrong if you disagree with that statement?

One of the great things that Stone and Parker have accomplished with South Park is poking fun of all sides of an issue leaving no one safe. Well this author (editor whatever) attempts to do the same by making fun of Bush, Republicans, Fox News, any religious person, and pretty much anyone who doesnt agree with him. Its funny that all those issues seem to be all on "one side" of most issues brought up in this book.

This book has nothing to do with South Park, and this author/editor has never watched an episode more than once to steal a quote. It scares me that this author/editor is a professor and is teaching students this crap.

this wasn't bigger, longer, or more penetrating
I was really excited about reading this book being both a philosophy and South Park fan. However, I was so disappointed and disgusted with this purchase that I returned it to the bookstore. This book is hardly a philosophical discussion and more an emotional screed of the editor/main contributor's opinions. I'm totally confused and baffled that Richard Hanley is a philosophy professor because hardly a chapter could muster a pass as a philosophy 101 term paper. It is so wrought with logical fallacies and poor reasoning I couldn't believe myself. The intellectual rigor and depth of argumentation is so poor it doesn't even deserve the provocative title "Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating".

The Passion
This book is a vehicle for Hanley's religious and political views.I'm basically on the same page with him when it comes to religion, but it's nothing like what Matt and Tray portray in South Park.I got to about page 60 of this unreadable tome and ditched it.If anyone wants a free copy, I left it in terminal C at Denver International Airport.If I had time I'd get my money back from Hanley just like Stan and Kenny did from Mel Gibson for "The Passion".

The Producers of South Park Probably Hate This Book
If you are looking for a book explaining the philosophical ideas behind South Park, you probably shouldn't buy this book. In fact, the articles in the book rarely even talk about South Park; the author simply uses it as an anchor to discuss his political standpoints. The articles written by him (almost all of them) contain hundreds of logical fallacies, and statements that are BLATENTLY WRONG. (For example, he states that no psychological studies have been carried out that support egoism, and that not psychologist has ever actually studied it. I found over 100 academic articles about the subject, most of them citing actually experiments.) His tone is whiny, childish, and profane, which does little to support his ideas and more to make him sound ricidulous. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone except for those wishing to write an easy rebuttal paper (perhaps for an English class). ... Read more

Product Description
The explosive progress of logic, since Frege, has produced applications in linguistics, mathematics and computer science. Students and practitioners of any of these fields, and of philosophy, will find this book an excellent reference or introduction. Now expanded to include non-classical logic, logic for the computer, and more. The central concepts are explained as they come into play in informal writing and conversation­­--argument, validity, relevance, and so on. This study guide progresses to concepts such as probability calculus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Logic book review
I should have had this as a subject in school. This book is a good and user-friendly primer to Logic. Reasonably priced too, I bought another book for a friend who wanted to borough my personal copy.

The Tool (Your Mind)
To solve the riddle beguiling the world
School your mind in the fine art of logic:
No method besides will conjure the clues.

The cosmos concealed is cut and unfurled
By disciples of proof; earthbound magic
Spies the truth behind the mystical ruse.

Unable to deal with angel or ghost?
Take a leaf from the good book of nature;
The rational choice discarded by most:
Plain wisdom reveals the wonders that are.
Reject the unreal and you'll travel far
Out of the past and into the future!

With Aristotle's labor near to hand,
A powerful tool is yours to command.

-Jate

Very good introductory/review logic book
I was took a few logic courses back when completing my bachelors. After several years as with everything else oyur memory becomes stale. I've decided to go to law school so I needed a logic review before taking the LSAT. This book is perfect for that. Clear concise explanations and examples, written very well and doesn't leave you asking questions about the ideas the author is trying to convey to you. I defiitely recomeend this book for the avid knowledge junky or for academic purposes.

Excellent value, well written, a bit old fashioned.
The good news. This book is excellent value for the money, and is the best written Schaum's Outline I have ever read. It is certainly not excessively mathematical, compared to nearly everything that passes for logic nowadays. Schaum's outlines are seldom written by first-raters in their respective fields. This is a clear exception; Varzi is a first rate contemporary philosopher. I would even call this book an excellent example of modern scientific communication.

The bad news. The book's approach to logic is a bit on the old fashioned side. Much of the material on traditional logic could have been omitted. The book shares a flaw that is sadly all too common: trivial propositions take 20-40 lines to prove. The refutation tree or natural deduction machinery of this and other contemporary texts is far too ponderous. This book, like all too many books in the philosophical logic tradition, devotes time to topics that leave me cold, such as modal logic. Meanwhile, it slights or omits topics that fascinate me, such as mereology, the isomorphism between truth functors and Boolean algebra, and metatheory. I like probability and inductive logic and feel that these have a great deal to offer to logic and philosophy, but this book only scratches the surface of these topics. The main consumers of logic nowadays are computer scientists. It is not at all clear that this book would be of any value to them. On the other hand, this is an excellent book for a philosophy major.

excellent introduction to the mechanics of logic
This book is an excellent introduction to what I call the
mechanics of logic. If you are interested in metalogic
proofs, like the deduction theorem, then don't look here.
This book teaches the basics of logic. It presents logic
in several different ways: using Aristole's version (strictly
for historical reasons), using Venn diagrams, a Hilbert-style
logic (rules to introduce and remove boolean operators), and
semantic tableaux. Also, it first introduces propositional
logic, then it proceeds to predicate logic. The book has
a peculiar approach that it does not introduce functions (not
predicate functions) until much later.

One of the more interesting chapter covers fallacious arguments. ... Read more

Product Description

"... well suited to the task of beckoning the novice onto the path of Heidegger's most arduous thought.... a useful introduction to the thought of one of our most original thinkers." -- International Studies in Philosophy

"... a helpful elucidation of the truth as [Heidegger] sees it.... This excellent translation will be of great value to students of Heidegger's thought." -- Library Journal

In this lecture course presented in 1937-38, Heidegger's task is to reassert the question of the essence of truth, not as a problem of logic, but precisely as the basic question of philosophy. These lectures were given at the time that Heidegger was composing his second magnum opus, Beiträge zur Philosophie, and provide the single best introduction to that complex and crucial text.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Introduction to Heidegger's Contributions to Philosophy
Heidegger gave this lecture course in the Winter semester 1937-1938 while he was finishing his second masterpiece, Contributions to Philosophy.It elaborates many of the themes of that difficult work in a more lucid style. (Unfortunately not all of the themes of Contributions are elaborated here, e.g. "the last god" is noticeably absent.)Herrmann, the editor of the German edition of both volumes, recommends it as the best introduction to Contributions.However, even if one is not interested in that other work, this lecture course is an excellent (also clear, concise) example of the later Heidegger.

About the translation--although no translation is perfect and Heidegger's German presents many difficulties, the translators do an admirable job.One criticism however:they do not distinguish "Sein" from Heidegger's other spelling "Seyn" in their translation, choosing to translate both by the generic "Being." (Other translators will distinguish the two as Be-ing/Being or Beyng/Being.) ... Read more

Product Description

In the last century developments in mathematics, philosophy, physics, computer science, economics and linguistics have proven important for the development of logic. There has been an influx of new ideas, concerns, and logical systems reflecting a great variety of reasoning tasks in the sciences. This volume reflects the multi-dimensional nature of the interplay between logic and science. It presents contributions from the world's leading scholars under the following headings:

- Proof, Knowledge and Computation

- Truth Values beyond Bivalence

- Category-Theoretic Structures

- Independence, Evaluation Games, and Imperfect Information

- Dialogue and Pragmatics.

The contents exemplify the liveliness of modern perspectives on the philosophy of logic and mathematics and demonstrate the growth of the discipline. It describes new trends, possible developments for research and new issues not normally raised in the standard agenda of the philosophy of logic and mathematics. It transforms rigid classical partitions into a more open field for improvisation.

Product Description
Informal Logic is an introductory guidebook to the basic principles of constructing sound arguments and criticizing bad ones. Non-technical in approach, it is based on 186 examples, which Douglas Walton, a leading authority in the field of informal logic, discusses and evaluates in clear, illustrative detail. Walton explains how errors, fallacies, and other key failures of argument occur. He shows how correct uses of argument are based on sound strategies for reasoned persuasion and critical responses. Among the many subjects covered are: forms of valid argument, defeasible arguments, relevance, appeals to emotion, personal attack, straw man argument, jumping to a conclusion, uses and abuses of expert opinion, problems in drawing conclusions from polls and statistics, loaded terms, equivocation, arguments from analogy, and techniques of posing, replying to, and criticizing questions.This new edition takes into account many new developments in the field of argumentation study that have occurred since 1989, many created by the author. Drawing on these developments, Walton includes and analyzes 36 new topical examples and also brings in recent work on argumentation schemes.Ideally suited for use in courses in informal logic and introduction to philosophy, this book will also be valuable to students of pragmatics, rhetoric, and speech communication. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Very practicable information
I found this book to be very logical, well laid out, and interesting. I had no problem reading through this book. In fact it was a breeze reading and I am now interested in reading more of the author's books on logic and argumentation. I would like to add that this is the first book on logic I have read. Additionally I found the information in the book to be very practicable/easy to put into use. I find myself unconsciously using techniques, from this book, for critical evaluation to criticize and evaluate the arguments used by others, and using the techniques for promoting open dialogue at work and in my other day to day interactions.

I think this book would be great to read in high school, though I am not implying it is "high school level" material. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

use for LSAT prep ONLY If you have "extra time."
I bought this book based on the fact I was told it would help me better understand Logic. It does/did but it is really dense and time consuming and I found that the last thing I wanted when preparing for the grueling LSAT was yet more dense material to digest. Looking back I would say read this book months before you even sit down to do real LSAT prep, so your brain can fully absorb the material and you can read it with out feeling overwhelmed. Good info just bad timing onmy part.

good college book
I bought this book from Amazon because it was, probably, $5 less than Borders and $10 less than my campus book store. I just completed my 2nd week of class and, so far, their is interesting content in the book. My only warning to future buyers...chapters are LONG, so brace yourself. One trick I came up with is ignore the charts/examples when reading each chapter. Just go over them later. I look forward to reading deeper over the next 14 Mondays.

Overrated
This book's merits are largely confined to its treatment of the following subjects: the differences between the red herring and wrong conclusion fallacies; the argument from authority/appeal to expert opinion; and the lists of critical questions worth asking in numerous contexts of dialogue. The author's take on these subjects is, to the best of my knowledge, unique and creative. Whoever reads the book will come away with an enriched understanding of these topics.

Otherwise, the book is lacking in two main areas. First, it is the most redundant book I've ever read. Walton repeats himself ad nauseam on nearly every subject in the book, and he seems to find new and different ways of being repetitive as the book progresses. The book is 332 pages long and has enough substantive content for about 250 pages. Second, Walton's overriding thesis--which I take to be that many of the errors in argument that logicians have traditionally labelled fallacies are *not* in fact fallacies, but rather simply correctable and temporary missteps in argument--is quite puzzling. He seems to think that because these so-called fallacies occur in the everyday ebb and flow of dialogue between persons, inasmuch as the one who errs in committing the "fallacy" can always and every time step back and fix his error and augment his argument with no harm done, they are not really fallacies at all. Yet lots of arguments do not occur in this way at all; many occur in written documents or in conversations between persons in which the arguer in error doesn't have a chance to correct or doesn't realize his error. Walton's contrarian view of fallacies leads him to cast doubt, for example, on whether the post hoc fallacy is truly a fallacy (he sees it as an inherently weak argument that always requires outside bolstering). No logician would deny that an observed correlation can in fact be a causal relation in some cases, given proper outside evidence about this relation. Yet it doesn't follow from this that there are no post hoc fallacies! Some errors in argument are just too egregious to be labelled anything other than fallacies. Walton seems not to understand this. You will learn much more about the standards of logical reasoning from a traditional logic textbook.

Very useful for LSAT preparation!
As a professional LSAT tutor/blogger in NYC, I can say that this book is very useful for LSAT prep. It clearly explains and demonstrate multiple examples of valid and invalid arguments. Walton is obsessed with logical fallacies and covers many of the common ones appearing on the LSAT.

When to read: Before you begin studying or when you need a break. ... Read more

Product Description
This leading text for symbolic or formal logic courses presents all techniques and concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations, and includes a wealth of carefully constructed examples. Its flexible organization (with all chapters complete and self-contained) allows instructors the freedom to cover the topics they want in the order they choose. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Good Overview of Basic Logic
There are three main things I like about this book, as compared to other logic textbooks. First, it doesn't assume the reader knows anything about logic at the outset. So, chapter one is the most basic stuff you need to learn. Second, the proof system is a good one. I think students get less confused about discharging assumptions than they otherwise would because of the way this proof system works. Third, the explanations are thorough. As a previous reviewer noted, the chapters get kind of long sometimes. That can be unpleasant. Still, I'd rather have a good, complete explanation (with some examples) than not. I don't find this book disorganized.

One thing I find infuriating is that the 5th edition is very badly edited. Chapters 5 and 10 are FULL of proofreading mistakes. It's unconscionable. I mean, when introducing Modus Tollens, they get it wrong! At the publisher's website you can find a list of errata for chapter 5, but it isn't a complete list, and there are no errata listed for chapter 10 (which is just as bad as chapter 5). I can't believe they put out a new edition that's such a mess.

Still, I think it's a good textbook overall. It starts at the very beginning, but doesn't stop there (like many intro textbooks do). It actually gets you into some interesting logic.

Awful
The text book is terribly written.It's convoluted, repetitive, and unorganized.I could not bear to read a chapter from beginning to end.For example, if a chapter is the 50 pages long, it's really only 5 pages of material at the core.So the content for the rest of the 45 pages is 10 pages of unnecessary wording and 35 pages of examples.The author seemed to have deliberately mixed everything making it difficult to pick out the 5 pages of main points in the 50-page long chunk.I am confident to say that this is the most awful textbook I've ever encountered in my life. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of original essays exploring the significance of Derrida's thought for education, pedagogy and the ethics of teaching and research.

• A collection of original essays exploring the significance of Derrida's thought for education, pedagogy, and the ethics of teaching and research
• Recognises that Derrida is a profound educational thinker, concerned with questions of pedagogy
• Written by a team of international scholars

Product Description
This is the first new version of Hegel's most fundamental text in more than a century. Like the original translation by William Wallace, it presents Hegel's final text of 1830, supplemented by the 'Additions' from his lectures. Hegel's prefaces for the Encyclopaedia are translated here for the first time. Surpassing Wallace's translation in fluency and fidelity to Hegel's text, this new translation is the collaborative effort of three distinguished Hegel scholars who have carefully rendered Hegel's logical terminology with precision and consistency. Within the limits of Hegel's own use of the German language, English readability and smoothness have been achieved, with the colloquial character of Hegel's oral commentary preserved. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Speedy
Shipment and delivery was very quick. Though book was in fair condition and not excellent.

Hegel's Encyclopedia Logic a Disappointment
When this ambitious new translation of Hegel's Encyclopedia came out' I took for granted that we English speakers would now know exactly what Hegel had to say in his shorter Logic.(The new translation also includes the Zusätze.)After all, the detractors of Wallace's 1892 translation had been calling that one a mere paraphrase.

Now I'm disappointed.This is undoubtedly an exact translation, but what Hegel has to say gets lost in this flat word-by-word rendition of the German.There are three translators of the work, and they have formed themselves into a majority of two which is openly ranged against the other one in the book about how this word or that should be rendered into English.

I went back and could actually enjoy the clear, meaningful English in Wallace's translation.Here you see Hegel in all his monstrous misunderstanding of how Reality operates.

The new translation undoubtly will have some utility for specialists who are involved with hard choices that need to be made when doing translations, but as a work to help us understand just what Hegel had to say, I didn't find it useful.

Review of the Hackett edition
This translation (the Geraets, Suchting and Harris translation) is undoubtedly superior to the Wallace translation. One does not have to do mental gymnastics to understand a simple point Hegel makes; the words flow fluently and coherently and are easily understood (as compared to Wallace's translation, which requires a great deal of patience to make it through even the simplest sentences). Reviewing the texts side-by-side (Wallace's 1975 Oxford edition and the Hackett 1991 edition) shows no loss of content nor the complexity of Hegel's logic. The Hackett edition comes highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume provides a comprehensive collection of classic and contemporary readings in the philosophy of logic. ... Read more

Product Description
Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning, 2/e is an introductory volume that teaches students to recognize and construct correct deductions. It takes students through all logical steps--from premise to conclusion--and presents appropriate symbols and terms, while giving examples to clarify principles. Logic, 2/e uses models to establish the invalidity of arguments, and includes exercise sets throughout, ranging from easy to challenging. Solutions are provided to selected exercises, and historical remarks discuss major contributions to the theories covered. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

a great book for demystifying mathematical proof, especially for programmers
I used this book in a course I took in logic at the University of Virginia as an elective in the philosophy department while pursuing my degree in electrical engineering.

I returned to this book in 1994 when I found myself studying math on my own.I was trying to tackle analysis and not satisfied that the proofs I was studying were sound.

This book was a godsend to me.I wanted to see how far it was possible to dispense with any hand waving whatsoever when proving a theorem, and I was deeply distrustful of the typical arguments found in higher math books.

Other books on logic seemed to assume you were comfortable with mathematical proof itself and proceeded to show you how to informally prove theorems about formal systems.You can imagine how little use that was to me.

This book introduced the techniques of formal logic as a game with simple rules that you had to practice, which is a great way to demystify the more complex styles of argument that are commonplace in higher math.The problems grow very slowly and smoothly in complexity through the book, with no enormous gaps that readers have to fill in on their own (a rarity in math books, I think).

If you are a programmer, an exercise I highly recommend is to write a program to validate proofs expressed in the system of the book, as you work your way through it.

After spending six months working through this book, I proceeded to Halmos's "Naive Set Theory", another great book, BTW, that paves the way to understanding higher math.

I can't imagine a better preparation for Halmos's book than KMM's Techniques of Formal Reasoning.

I still use it after 40 years
The first edition of this book was the textbook for my first formal logic course at UCLA in 1967, taught by Donald Kalish. Because of it, I changed my major from Physics to Mathematics with a specialty in Logic and Set Theory. Forty years later, I still pull the book out and do exercises from the later chapters,certain that such mental exercise sharpens my decision-making skills. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to improve their deductive reasoning.

Most Excellent Logic Text
Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning, 2nd Edition, by Donald Kalish, Richard Montague, and Gary Mar 1980 (1964)

I was originally introduced to the 1964 edition of Kalish and Montague's Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning in early 1970. As an undergraduate taking elementary logic for the first time, needless to say I found the demands of sentential and predicate calculus and theorem-proving in general to be daunting and not a little painful. It was many years later after receiving advanced degrees and teaching logic courses myself, along with researching some of the theoretical horizons in artificial intelligence, that I turned back to this most precious of textbooks. Finding that a second edition had been published, I eagerly bought a copy and set out to re-prove all those theorems.

Sharpening one's logic skills can be a struggle, but it is one well worth undergoing especially with the demands for reasoned discipline imposed by Kalish, Montague, and Mar.Every so often, I go back to this text to prove the theorems once again (though I occasionally skip over a few in the first three chapters). I've found just a few suggestions I would make to the authors, if they were still around, or to whoever may edit it in the future. These pertain only to the first 5 chapters.

The transition from the 125 theorems of the sentential calculus to those of the predicate calculus is a bit rough-going. Almost immediately, one is expected to engage in abbreviated theorem-proving which certainly assumes a command of all those theorems that came before. It would seem that a few more exercises would help students acquire more familiarity with those theorems and with abbreviated proofs. Moreover, one is introduced to more complex inference rules, such as separation of cases, for which few exercises have prepared one, at least up to that point. These may be minor quibbles, but they can cause a lot of confusion, especially to students introduced to logic for the first time.

Additionally, well into Chapter III, it is possible to construct a proof of one of the advanced theorems with the use of hypothetical syllogism. In theorem T235 (corresponding to the Aristotelian syllogism Barbara), one can derive two pure hypothetical statements permitting the application of hypothetical syllogism (the law of transitivity) to deduce a third. Yet neither hypothetical syllogism as a specific rule of inference nor the concept of transitivity has been introduced in previous pages. In fact, hypothetical syllogism as such (including explanations of pure and mixed syllogisms) is never introduced, though principles of syllogism are. The law of transitivity is not introduced until late in Chapter V. Of course, one can derive them, but this can cause confusion for a beginner.

I highly recommend this text over all others that are commonly used in basic undergraduate or even graduate courses. Though Logic: Techniques of Formal Reasoning is more demanding than, say, any of the Copi books, those demands result in more disciplined reasoning, proofs, and a broader understanding of logic and its relation to mathematics.

Myrna L. Estep, Ph.D.

Best Textbook
With some saddness, I noted the death of Dr Kalish this month.As an undergrad at UCLA during the mid 60's, I was fortunate to take Dr Kalish's class in Symbolic Logic.Over the years, I realized that his course usingthis textbook was the most valuable class I took, either as an undergrad ora graduate student.The text offers disciplined procedural logic thatclarifies thought processes.At various times, I worked as a mathematicalprogrammer in several higher level languages without ever taking a formalcourse in any of them.I attribute my success in this area to theTechniques of Formal Reasoning.

Kalish
If taught by the right person, this book will reveal all of the issues of contemporary logic. It is best supplemented on first reading with Schuman's "logic" guide. As Kalish was influenced by Russell, I found theTheorems in the Principia matched perfectly those found in this book. Thelatest edition of this book is much improved, in my opinion. It offers moreguidance to understanding how to solve problems, and offers a great manyuseful hints and tips. Kalish is/was (?) the Chair of the department ofUCLA. He is a modern master and authority on this subject. In my opinion,if you wish to spend time on understanding the strengths ofcontemporarysymbolic logic, there is no better book to buy. ... Read more

Product Description

Logic: The Basics is a hands-on introduction to the philosophically alive field of logical inquiry. Covering both classical and non-classical theories, it presents some of the core notions of logic such as validity, basic connectives, identity, ‘free logic’ and more. This book:

• introduces some basic ideas of logic from a semantic and philosophical perspective
• uses logical consequence as the focal concept throughout
• considers some of the controversies and rival logics that make for such a lively field

This accessible guide includes chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading as well as exercises and sample answers throughout. It is an ideal introduction for those new to the study of logic as well as those seeking to gain the competence and skills needed to move to more advanced work in logic.

Product Description
If a man supports Arsenal one day and Spurs the next then he is fickle but not necessarily illogical. From this starting point, and assuming no previous knowledge of logic, Wilfrid Hodges takes the reader through the whole gamut of logical expressions in a simple and lively way. Readers who are more mathematically adventurous will find optional sections introducing rather more challenging material. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

1st half great; 2nd half wanders
(Note: the following review is of the 1st edition of Logic.I have not seen the second.)

In general, I would rate this a very good intro. to logic.The first half of the book lays the necessary groundwork cogently.Hodges builds from simple principles to increasingly complex logical concepts and constructs.In the first half of the book he takes nothing for granted, and the presentation is adequate for a complete novice.In the second half, however, Hodges leaves too many concepts inadequately explained/defined.It was considerably more difficult -- at times prohibitively so as a beginner -- to follow his argumentation.That said, Logic is not a textbook on the subject (though the first half of the book adequately serves the purpose).It is more of a cursory survey.As such, it's second half does not disappoint.Though the second half did not equip me to 'practice' logic as well as the first did, it certainly piqued my interest in pursuing further studies of the subject.Overall, a very readable and enjoyable book

The best into to modern logic there is.
Hodges, please get a second edition of this wonderful book back into print!!

This is probably the best intro there is to modern logic for people without prior training in science and math. The examples are all taken form linguistics and philosophy. Ironically, the author is also a high power mathematician, but he does not let that show. This is the book Quine should have written instead of his Elementary Logic. Also clearer and less threatening to sanity than Spencer Brown's Laws of Form. ... Read more

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Solomon Feferman is one of the leading figures in logic and the foundations of mathematics. This volume brings together a selection of his most important essays dealing with the light which results in modern logic cast on significant problems in the foundations of mathematics. It is essential reading for anyone interested in these subjects. Feferman presents key issues in the work of Cantor, Hilbert, Weyl, and Godel among others, and explains how they are dealt with by proof theory and other parts of logic. A number of the papers appeared originally in obscure places and are not well-known, and others are published here for the first time. All of the material has been revised and annotated to bring it up to date. ... Read more

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From a master.
This is a nice and valuable collection of essays by one of the masters of modern mathematical logic and would be appealing to anyone interested in the foundations of mathematics. Though some essays are too technical, others are just delightful, with clarity of thought and many insightful ideas. The price is prohibitive, though. Maybe a paperback edition would be more accessible. ... Read more

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Elizabeth Anscombe is among the most distinguished and original philosophers alive today. Her work has ranged over many areas of philosophy, including metaphysics, ethics, the philosophy of mind and action, and the philosophy of religion. In each of these areas she has made seminal contributions. The essays in this book reflect the breadth of her interests and the esteem in which she is held by her colleagues. ... Read more

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The book offers and explains the hypothesis that the end of the 13th century does not denote the 'final stage' and the 'stage of decay' of Arabic logic as the 'Aristotelian logic' continues its life and development in the following period in Bosnia and Herzegovina - either as a subject within the educational system, or as general propaedeutics for each scientific thought - where it had skilled interpreters. The book proves that the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina used almost the same way to compose writings in the field of logic: one in Latin within West-European cultural and theological tradition, and the others in Arabic, within Arabic-islamic tradition. ... Read more

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Now much revised since its first appearance in 1941, this book, despite its brevity, is notable for its scope and rigor. It provides a single strand of simple techniques for the central business of modern logic. Basic formal concepts are explained, the paraphrasing of words into symbols is treated at some length, and a testing procedure is given for truth-function logic along with a complete proof procedure for the logic of quantifiers. Fully one third of this revised edition is new, and presents a nearly complete turnover in crucial techniques of testing and proving, some change of notation, and some updating of terminology. The study is intended primarily as a convenient encapsulation of minimum essentials, but concludes by giving brief glimpses of further matters.

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Helpful understanding of logic for LSAT prep
As a professional LSAT tutor/blogger in NYC, I believe this book is helpful, but not necessary, for LSAT prep.

At 144 pages, it's short and sweet. It's also the first-ever logic textbook (originally published 1941, revised 1980). It discusses many basic issues (necessary/sufficient, etc.) relevant to LSAT logic. If you have the time/inclination, feel free to give it a read, but it's by no means necessary.

The Best Introductory Textbook of Logic
I am surprised to be the first one to write a review about this book. However, I can see how this happened - the author himself writes in his preface to this last edition: "Publisher's samples of fifty-five logic textbooks have accumulated in my office, all introductory and in English. Quantification theory or the first-order predicate calculus is covered in one way or another in most of them. Forty years ago it was covered in none." Forty years ago W. O. Quine published his "Elementary Logic" and set some standards in Logic. I would only want to stress the fact that the good thing about this book is not only that it was the first of this kind, chronologically speaking, but that it still is the first, from a logical point of view (this is the title of another one of Quine's books). Usual readers may not realize that the standards that Quine set forty years ago are still the best that one can find in his attempt to learn Logic. I haven't read a better introductory textbook of Logic and I recommend it to anyone who really wants to understand how the Science of all Sciences (as the medieval philosophers called Logic) works. ... Read more

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This brief and flexible introductory level text is designed to illustrate the power of logic as a tool for critical thinking in various facets of life by increasing students' ability to understand, analyze, evaluate, and construct arguments. The Power of Logic provides balanced coverage of informal logic, traditional categorical logic, and modern symbolic logic. The authors' direct and accessible writing style, along with a wealth of relevant examples and imaginative exercises, make this an ideal text for today's logic classes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Awesome
I was expecting some pretty terrible quality since it was the first book I've ever purchased online, but I was completely wrong. The book was practically in mint condition.

Modern and easy to follow
Full disclosure: I haven't yet finished reading this entirely. That said, I've found this to be a wonderful and thorough introduction to philosophical logic. The text is clearly written, with numerous helpful, and humorous examples (referencing everything from politics, to Harry Potter, and even Homestar Runner). While logic may sound like an incredibly dry topic, the authors have managed to maintain and even pique my interest with their modern writing style and layout. I would highly recommend this text book.

college books
Very happy with the book, it arrived promptly in the condition it was advertised. I would definitely buy from this seller again. ... Read more

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Logic and Existence, which originally appeared in 1952, completes the project Hyppolite began with Genesis and Structure of Hegel's "Phenomenology of Spirit." Taking up successively the role of language, reflection, and categories in Hegel's Science of Logic, Hyppolite illuminates Hegelianism's most obscure dialectical synthesis: the relation between the phenomenology and the logic. ... Read more