Introduction to Logic

"There are obvious benefits to be gained from the study of logic: heightened ability to express ideas clearly and concisely, increased skill in defining one's terms, enlarged capacity to formulate arguments rigorously and to analyze them critically. But the greatest benefit, in my judgment, is the recognition that reason can be applied in every aspect of human affairs. Democratic institutions require that citizens think for themselves, discuss problems freely with one another, and decide issues on the basis of deliberation and the weighing of evidence. Through the study of logic, we can acquire not only practice in reasoning, but also respect for reason, and thus reinforce and secure the values we prize. To help achieve these goals, a textbook of logic should contain an ample selection of illustrations and exercises of human, scientific, and philosophical interest. These should have been presented by serious writers in honest efforts to solve real problems. Ideally, they should include fallacies as well as paradigms of demonstrations. This new edition contains over three hundred new examples and exercises, many of which were selected specifically to fulfill this requirement. Others were introduces to provide a more gradual transition from easier to more challenging exercises that the students should master in order to acquire logical skills as well as logical understanding."--Preface.--Publisher description.