Synopses & Reviews
This clearly written, new edition by
Howard Pospesel extends to general statements the system developed in
Propositional Logic, revised Third Edition. This new edition covers symbolization, proofs, counterexamples, and truth trees. These topics are presented in graded steps, beginning with the symbolization of categorical propositions and concluding with the properties of relations.
Examples and exercises are drawn from such sources as newspapers, television broadcasts, films, books, and exams. The book enhances students' ability to recognize and evaluate the predicate arguments they encounter outside the logic classroom. Logic is made accessible without sacrificing rigor. Among the new and revised elements in the Second Edition:
- Many new exercises and examples
- A chapter on truth trees
- New sections treating possible-world counterexamples, intensional contexts, quantifier scope, and quantifier order
- An appendix on metatheory by William G. Lycan
Also, with this new Second Edition! PredLogic, Windows-based software provides an environment in which students symbolize sentences, construct proofs of validity, devise counterexamples, and create truth trees. The program enables students to catch errors as they are made, and it offers hints for solving problems.
Review
"The accuracy of the text and the clarity of the explanations are first-rate .... I have taught from it for 12 years! .... [T]he strongest point in favor of Pospesel's two introductory logic texts is their eminent teachability." Richard Arthur, Middlebury College
Synopsis
This clearly written book makes logic interesting and easier to learn without sacrificing content or rigor. It covers symbolization, proofs, counterexamples, and truth trees. These topics are presented in graded steps, beginning with the symbolization of categorical propositions and concluding with the properties of relations. Logic is applied to materials with which readers will be familiar; both examples and exercises are drawn from newspapers, television, and other popular sources. For individuals intrigued by the formal study of logic.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction.
2. Basic Symbolization.
3. Proofs: "O and $O.
4. Proofs: $I and QE.
5. Intermediate Symbolization.
6. Intermediate Proofs.
7. Counterexamples.
8. Truth Trees.
9. Property-Logic Refinements.
10. Relational Symbolization.
11. Relational Proofs.
12. Relational CEXes and Trees.
13. Relational-Logic Refinements.
14. Natural Arguments.
Appendix 1. Propositional Logic: A Brief Review.
Appendix 2. Metatheory.
Appendix 3. Using PredLogic.
Appendix 4. Solutions to Starred Exercises.
Index.
Proof Rules.
Truth-Tree Rules.