Logic Primer - Softcover

Allen, Colin; Hand, Michael

3.56

41 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0262510650 ISBN 13: 9780262510653

Publisher: Bradford Books, 1992

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

This text presents a self-contained introduction to logic suitable for majors and nonmajors, and can be covered entirely in a one-semester course. Natural deduction systems of sentential logic and of first-order logic, truth tables, and the basic ideas of model theory are presented without superfluous discussion. This allows the instructor to choose various ways of presenting the material. The text is organized into definitions, comments, examples, and exercises in a modern, visually helpful format. Comments are kept to a minimum so that definitions and examples are usually on the same page, making it easy for students to compare the two. In addition, there are over 500 exercises, with solutions to more than half of them provided in an appendix.

Logic Primer differs from existing texts in several important ways. The proofs are shorter and more elegant. The rules of proof are stated in terms of denials of sentences rather than negations; this results in more intuitive rules that students learn more quickly. Most important pedagogically, the authors' natural deduction systems explicitly track the assumptions on which each step in a proof depends.

Colin Allen is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Michael Hand is Associate Professor of Philosophy, both at Texas A&M University.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Colin Allen is Professor of Philosophy at Texas A&M University. He is the coauthor of Nature's Purposes (MIT Press, 1998), Species of Mind (MIT Press, 1997), and The Cognitive Animal (MIT Press, 2001).

Review:

Logic Primer is an excellent textbook: wonderfully concise, clear, and rich. I recommend it highly for introductory courses in formal logic. And the web-based software is state-of-the-art.

(Torin Alter, Department of Philosophy, The University of Alabama)

By far the smoothest running natural deduction system that I have seen in 28 years of teaching logic. The proof checker website and the low cost of the text make Logic Primer the first choice!

(Jonathan Gold, West Liberty State College)

I am very pleased to see that Logic Primer is coming out in a second edition. I have used the first edition to great effect in turning my classes into learning communities of careful readers. The new material on identity, and the revisions to previous material, are well motivated and will be helpful. The key virtue of the book, however, is its clear, direct, and intelligibly sequenced presentation of logic. I look forward to being able to continue to build my course around the structure provided by Logic Primer.

(William S. Robinson, Professor of Philosophy, Iowa State University)

This is clearly and efficiently written little text. The emphasis throughout is on essentials (definitions, statements of rules and exercises) and this is interrupted with a minimum of commentary and discussion. This makes for focused reading which keeps the reader's mind concentrated on the subject at hand. Being spare in commentary and discussion, it will stay out of the way of the instructor while also encouraging students to come to lectures instead of relying exclusively on the book.

(Michael Detlefseu, Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame)

What makes Logic Primer a uniquely valuable text is not that it contains everything you need for an introductory logic course (which, of course, it does), but that it contains nothing more. While providing students with a clear and comprehensive yet streamlined presentation of first-order logic, it allows instructors the freedom to tailor the structure and pace of the course to fit their own pedagogical goals. Moreover, the natural deduction system is elegant, intuitive, and free of various unnecessary procedures that, though common in other systmes, tend to make derivations difficult for students to grasp.

(Amy Kind, Department of Philosophy, Claremont McKenna College)

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.