Posted by alexandra_k on December 4, 2005, at 15:15:17
In reply to Logic, posted by verne on December 4, 2005, at 8:47:21
> Could anyone recommend a good introductory logic book? Something between a textbook and Logic for Dummies. Not too many funny mathematical symbols please.
hmm. this is a text book...
but the first half is in English (no symbols) and deals with puzzles / problems in English. There are LOTS of puzzles / problems and every 5th answer is provided in the back of the book.The second half deals with LPC (lower predicate calculus) and HPC (higher predicate calculus). The symbols might seem a little tricky at first... But there comes a point where it is actually easier to deal with the symbols than it is to try and tackle the problems in English. Also... English is ambiguous (with respect to how one is supposed to translate it into LPC / HPC) while the logical languages are 100% clear and precise.
In first year logic... We worked from chapter 7 on. The logical languages. Before school started I started working through the first half of the book though. Because they said 'no particular mathematical aptitude' was required and I was worried I would bomb. I actually enjoyed the first half. Mostly... The text doesn't make a lot of sense... But you kind of read it half heartedly then have a go at the problems. Only use the text insofar as it helps you understand how to do the problems...
Otherwise...
Maybe you are more interested in critical reasoning? That deals with English rather than logical languages. I should really put in the plug for this bookThe second edition is coming out soon... Though to be fair there are millions of these on the market. I have to say... IMO critical reasoning is more frustrating than logic because there are ambiguities with respect to how you 'read' (translate / interpret) the argument / problem. So... Sometimes there is no right answer. It is more about the REASONS for your answer. Logic has a right answer, though...
> I dropped out of a logic class in college because it looked too much like math.
Yeah, I sympathise...
(If it is any consolation math can actually be REDUCED to logic (I think) so long as set theory / venn diagrams are allowed as a bridge)
So... You can draw problems as sets and sets within sets. I wanted to do that with the all / most / some / one thing... But you can't draw circles in these txt boxes...> I wanted a fuzzy philosophy course where I could BS my way through - Logic 101 wasn't the answer.
Ah. I haven't encountered a 'fuzzy philosophy course where I could BS my way through' yet ;-)
poster:alexandra_k
thread:585017
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20051203/msgs/585413.html