Introducing Symbolic Logic - Softcover

Robert M. Martin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551116359 ISBN 13: 9781551116358

Publisher: Broadview Press, 2004

Synopsis

“The tidiest logic text on the market. Just what you need and no more, presented with a light and student-friendly touch.” — Adam Morton, University of Alberta|This accessible, SHORT introduction to symbolic logic includes coverage of sentential and predicate logic, translations, truth tables, and derivations. The author’s engaging style makes this the most informal of introductions to formal logic. Topics are explained in a conversational, easy-to-understand way for readers not familiar with mathematics or formal systems, and the author provides patient, reader-friendly explanations—even with the occasional bit of humour. The first half of the book deals with all the basic elements of Sentential Logic: the five truth-functional connectives, formation rules and translation into this language, truth-tables for validity, logical truth/falsity, equivalency, consistency and derivations. The second half deals with Quantifier Logic: the two quantifiers, formation rules and translation, demonstrating certain logical characteristics by “Finding an Interpretation” and derivations. There are plenty of exercises scattered throughout, more than in many texts, arranged in order of increasing difficulty and including separate answer keys.

About this title

About the Author

Robert M. Martin is Professor of Philosophy at Dalhousie University. His many books include On Ayer (Wadsworth), The Meaning of Language (MIT Press), and On Ockham, with Sharon Kaye (Wadsworth). He is also the author of There Are Two Errors in the the Title of This Book, The Philosopher's Dictionary, and Scientific Thinking (Broadview Press).

From the Back Cover

This accessible, SHORT introduction to symbolic logic includes coverage of sentential and predicate logic, translations, truth tables, and derivations. The author's engaging style makes this the most informal of introductions to formal logic. Topics are explained in a conversational, easy-to-understand way for readers not familiar with mathematics or formal systems, and the author provides patient, reader-friendly explanations--even with the occasional bit of humour.

The first half of the book deals with all the basic elements of Sentential Logic: the five truth-functional connectives, formation rules and translation into this language, truth-tables for validity, logical truth/falsity, equivalency, consistency and derivations. The second half deals with Quantifier Logic: the two quantifiers, formation rules and translation, demonstrating certain logical characteristics by "Finding an Interpretation" and derivations.

There are plenty of exercises scattered throughout, more than in many texts, arranged in order of increasing difficulty and including separate answer keys.

Edition details

• Publisher: Broadview Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1551116359
• ISBN 13: 9781551116358
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272