Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking
5th Edition
Published on 22. April 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
512 pages
978-0-534-62663-1 (ISBN)
Description
Designed for students with no prior training in logic, INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC AND CRITICAL THINKING offers an accessible treatment of logic that enhances understanding of reasoning in everyday life. The text begins with an introduction to arguments. After some linguistic preliminaries, the text presents a detailed analysis of inductive reasoning and associated fallacies. This order of presentation helps to motivate the use of formal methods in the following sections on deductive logic and fallacies that mimic deductive arguments. Lively and straightforward prose assists students in gaining facility with the sometimes challenging concepts of logic. By combining a sensitive treatment of ordinary language arguments with a simple but rigorous exposition of basic principles of logic, the text develops students' understanding of the relationships between logic and language, and strengthens their skills in logic and critical thinking.
More details
Edition
5th edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Belmont, CA
United States
Publishing group
Cengage Learning, Inc
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 162 mm
Width: 230 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
658 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-534-62663-1 (9780534626631)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Content
Preface.
1. INTRODUCTION TO ARGUMENTS.
Introduction. Arguments. Recognizing Arguments. Extended Arguments. Reconstructing Arguments. Review.
2. PAYING SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE LANGUAGE OF ARGUMENTS.
Introduction. Ambiguity. Vagueness. Definitions. Use and Mention. Review.
3. DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS, INDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS, AND FALLACIES.
Introduction. Deductive Arguments. Inductive Arguments. Fallacies. Review.
4. A CLOSER LOOK AT INDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS.
Introduction. Statistical Syllogisms. Arguments from analogy. Arguments Based on samples. Extended Inductive Arguments. Pro and Con Arguments. Review.
5. CAUSAL ARGUMENTS.
Introduction. Mill's Methods for Establishing Casual Claim. Controlled Experiments. Hume's Analysis of Causation. Casual Fallacies. Review.
6. PROBABILITIES AND INDUCTIVE LOGIC.
Introduction. The Rules of Probability. Using Probabilities to Plan a Course of Action-Decision Theory. Review.
7. CONFIRMATION OF HYPOTHESES.
Hypotheses. The Hypothetico-Deductive Method. Complexities in the Hypothetico-Deductive Method. Incremental Confirmation and "Absolute" Confirmation. Disconfirmation. Bayesian Confirmation. Review.
8. DEDUCTIVE REASONING?SENTENTIAL LOGIC.
Introduction. Properties of Deductive Arguments: Validity and the Importance of Logical Form. Conditional Sentences. Two Conditional Argument Forms. Fallacies Associated with these Conditional Forms. Additional Forms of Sentential Arguments. Symbolizing Connectives. Symbolizing English Sentences. Determining the Truth Values of Compound Sentence Forms Determining the Validity of Invalidity of Argument Forms. Taulologies, Self-Contradictions, and Contingent Sentences. Review.
9. CATEGORICAL SYLLOGISMS.
Introduction. Categorical Sentences. Translating English Sentences Into Standard Categorical Forms. Testing for Validity with Venn Diagrams. Distribution of Terms-Fallacies of Distribution. Other Ways to test the Validity of Syllogisms. Reducing the Number of Terms in Syllogisms. Reconstructing Ordinary-Language Arguments as Syllogisms. Quasi Syllogism and Sorites. Review.
10. ARGUMENTS IN WHICH VALIDITY DEPENDS ON RELATIONSHIPS.
Introduction. Examples of Relational Arguments. Important Properties of Relationships. Using Quantifiers to Express Relationships. Symbolizing Arguments. Review.
Appendix One: Proof Method for Truth-Functional Logic.
Appendix Two: Index of Fallacies.
Bibliography.
Solutions to Even-numbered Exercises.
Index.
1. INTRODUCTION TO ARGUMENTS.
Introduction. Arguments. Recognizing Arguments. Extended Arguments. Reconstructing Arguments. Review.
2. PAYING SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE LANGUAGE OF ARGUMENTS.
Introduction. Ambiguity. Vagueness. Definitions. Use and Mention. Review.
3. DEDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS, INDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS, AND FALLACIES.
Introduction. Deductive Arguments. Inductive Arguments. Fallacies. Review.
4. A CLOSER LOOK AT INDUCTIVE ARGUMENTS.
Introduction. Statistical Syllogisms. Arguments from analogy. Arguments Based on samples. Extended Inductive Arguments. Pro and Con Arguments. Review.
5. CAUSAL ARGUMENTS.
Introduction. Mill's Methods for Establishing Casual Claim. Controlled Experiments. Hume's Analysis of Causation. Casual Fallacies. Review.
6. PROBABILITIES AND INDUCTIVE LOGIC.
Introduction. The Rules of Probability. Using Probabilities to Plan a Course of Action-Decision Theory. Review.
7. CONFIRMATION OF HYPOTHESES.
Hypotheses. The Hypothetico-Deductive Method. Complexities in the Hypothetico-Deductive Method. Incremental Confirmation and "Absolute" Confirmation. Disconfirmation. Bayesian Confirmation. Review.
8. DEDUCTIVE REASONING?SENTENTIAL LOGIC.
Introduction. Properties of Deductive Arguments: Validity and the Importance of Logical Form. Conditional Sentences. Two Conditional Argument Forms. Fallacies Associated with these Conditional Forms. Additional Forms of Sentential Arguments. Symbolizing Connectives. Symbolizing English Sentences. Determining the Truth Values of Compound Sentence Forms Determining the Validity of Invalidity of Argument Forms. Taulologies, Self-Contradictions, and Contingent Sentences. Review.
9. CATEGORICAL SYLLOGISMS.
Introduction. Categorical Sentences. Translating English Sentences Into Standard Categorical Forms. Testing for Validity with Venn Diagrams. Distribution of Terms-Fallacies of Distribution. Other Ways to test the Validity of Syllogisms. Reducing the Number of Terms in Syllogisms. Reconstructing Ordinary-Language Arguments as Syllogisms. Quasi Syllogism and Sorites. Review.
10. ARGUMENTS IN WHICH VALIDITY DEPENDS ON RELATIONSHIPS.
Introduction. Examples of Relational Arguments. Important Properties of Relationships. Using Quantifiers to Express Relationships. Symbolizing Arguments. Review.
Appendix One: Proof Method for Truth-Functional Logic.
Appendix Two: Index of Fallacies.
Bibliography.
Solutions to Even-numbered Exercises.
Index.