An Introduction to Formal Logic
2nd Edition
Published on 25. June 2020
Book
Hardback
428 pages
978-1-108-42006-8 (ISBN)
Description
Formal logic provides us with a powerful set of techniques for criticizing some arguments and showing others to be valid. These techniques are relevant to all of us with an interest in being skilful and accurate reasoners. In this very accessible book, extensively revised and rewritten for the second edition, Peter Smith presents a guide to the fundamental aims and basic elements of formal logic. He introduces the reader to the languages of propositional and predicate logic, and develops natural deduction systems for evaluating arguments translated into these languages. His discussion is richly illustrated with worked examples and exercises, and alongside the formal work there is illuminating philosophical commentary. This book will make an ideal text for a first logic course and will provide a firm basis for further work in formal and philosophical logic.
More details
Series
Edition
2nd Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
Revised edition
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 252 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
890 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-42006-8 (9781108420068)
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
Other editions
Additional editions
Peter Smith
An Introduction to Formal Logic
E-Book
06/2020
2nd Edition
Cambridge University Press
€28.99
Available for download
Previous edition
Peter Smith
An Introduction to Formal Logic
Book
11/2003
Cambridge University Press
€59.42
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Peter Smith was formerly Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. His books include Explaining Chaos (Cambridge, 1998) and An Introduction to Goedel's Theorems (Cambridge, 2007; 2013).
Content
Preface: 1. What is deductive logic?; 2. Validity and soundness; 3. Forms of inference; 4. Proofs; 5. The counterexample method; 6. Logical validity; 7. Propositions and forms; Interlude. From informal to formal logic; 8. Three connectives; 9. PL syntax; 10. PL semantics; 11. `P's, `Q's, `_'s, `_'s { and form again; 12. Truth functions; 13. Expressive adequacy; 14. Tautologies; 15. Tautological entailment; 16. More about tautological entailment; 17. Explosion and absurdity; 18. The truth-functional conditional; 19. `If's and `!'s: why natural deduction?; 20. PL proofs: conjunction and negation; 21. PL proofs: disjunction; 22. PL proofs: conditionals; 23. PL proofs: theorems; 24. PL proofs: metatheory; Interlude. Formalizing general propositions; 25. Names and predicates; 26. Quantifers in ordinary language; 27. Quantifer-variable notation; 28. QL languages; 29. Simple translations; 30. More on translations; Interlude. Arguing in QL; 31. Informal quantifer rules; 32. QL proofs; 33. More QL proofs; 34. Empty domains?; 35. Q-valuations; 36. Q-validity; 37. QL proofs: metatheory; Interlude. Extending QL; 38. Identity; 39. QL= languages; 40. Definite descriptions; 41. QL= proofs; 42. Functions; Appendix. Soundness and completeness.