A logic book : fundamentals of reasoning

Описание

Preface
A Logic Book is a user-friendly textbook designed for a first course in logic at the
college level It is also suitable as a supplementary text for courses in critical thinking
and rhetoric or as an introduction for the reader who seeks a clear and concise
introduction to logic. This book presupposes no previous study in logic but goes to great
pains to make logic understandable and useful.
A Logic Book covers the traditional subjects of logic: argument analysis, deductive
and inductive reasoning, and informal fallacies. The book is designed so that professors
may select from the topics or present all in one semester. For example, Chapters One
and Two introduce basic concepts—specifically, argument and inferential strength—
and should be read first. Then professors will probably want to introduce students to
deductive reasoning. Two different theories of deductive reasoning are presented:
categorical logic and truth-functional logic. Since the presentations of categorical and
truth-functional logic are independent, professors may teach one or both. (I prefer to
teach categorical logic one semester and truth-functional the next)
Professors who teach truth-functional logic, in Chapters Five and Six, may
continue into Chapter Seven on formal deduction. It is possible to teach Chapter Seven
without Chapters Five and Six first, but professors would probably want students to
study at least sections 5A The Symbols and Their Uses, 5.5 Grouping and the Scope of
Operators, 5.7 The Truth-Functions, and 5.8 Constructing Truth Tables.
After treating deductive reasoning, most courses in logic will turn to inductive
reasoning. Chapter Eight provides a clear and comprehensive presentation of inductive
generalization, causal reasoning, and analogical reasoning, a standard classification of types of
inductive argument. Then professors may want to teach informal fallacies, presented in
Chapter Nine. For those professors who prefer, Chapter Nine, Informal Fallacies, can be
taught right after Chapters One and Two and before deductive reasoning. The treatment
of the informal fallacies in A Logic Book does not presuppose an understanding of either
deductive or inductive reasoning.
Chapter Ten, Evaluating Arguments, returns to and expands upon recognizing
arguments, exclusively from real sources, enthymemes, and exposing arguments in long
passages. It provides a wealth of real examples showing students how they may paraphrase
and rewrite arguments. It also demonstrates evaluating arguments using concepts from
throughout the book. It is possible to study Chapter Ten without having studied
deductive or inductive reasoning. The chapter is designed to work independendy. However,
for those who have studied one of the deductive theories, inductive reasoning, and the
fallacies, Chapter Ten is perfect for applying the tools of logic to real arguments.
In terms of depth, reading level, and pedagogic approach, A Logic Book is designed
for a typical one-semester (fifteen-week), introductory college course. It is written in
clear, straightforward language and employs a number of "user friendly" features.

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