Philosophy: logic Books

Book SynopsisFrom academic writing to personal and public discourse, the need for good arguments and better ways of arguing is greater than ever before. This timely fifth edition of A Rulebook for Arguments sharpens an already-classic text, adding updated examples and a new chapter on public debates that provides rules for the etiquette and ethics of sound public dialogue as well as clear and sound thinking in general.Trade ReviewComments on the previous edition: "This is the ultimate 'how-to' book for anyone who wants to use reasons and evidence in support of conclusions, to be clear instead of confusing, persuasive instead of dogmatic, and better at evaluating the arguments of others." --Debra Nails, Michigan State University

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Book SynopsisThe Logic Manual is a clear and concise introduction to logic for beginning philosophy students. It offers a complete introductory course, guiding the reader carefully through the topics in logic that are most important for the study of philosophy. It covers propositional and predicate logic with and without identity. It includes an account of the semantics of these languages including definitions of truth and satisfaction. Natural deduction is used as a proof system. Volker Halbach introduces the essential concepts through examples and informal explanations as well as through abstract definitions. The Logic Manual provides the best entry to the general abstract way of thinking about language, logic, and semantics which is characteristic of contemporary philosophy. Exercises, examples, and sample examination papers are provided on an accompanying website.Table of Contents1. Sets, Relations, and Arguments ; 2. Syntax and Semantics of Propositional Logic ; 3. Formalisation in Propositional Logic ; 4. The Syntax of Predicate Logic ; 5. The Semantics of Predicate Logic ; 6. Natural Deduction ; 7. Formalisation in Predicate Logic ; 8. Identity and Definite Descriptions ; Natural Deduction Rules

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Book SynopsisIn the second edition of this witty and infectious book, Madsen Pirie builds upon his guide to using - and indeed abusing - logic in order to win arguments. By including new chapters on how to win arguments in writing, in the pub, with a friend, on Facebook and in 140 characters (on Twitter), Pirie provides the complete guide to triumphing in altercations ranging from the everyday to the downright serious. He identifies with devastating examples all the most common fallacies popularly used in argument. We all like to think of ourselves as clear-headed and logical - but all readers will find in this book fallacies of which they themselves are guilty. The author shows you how to simultaneously strengthen your own thinking and identify the weaknesses in other people arguments. And, more mischievously, Pirie also shows how to be deliberately illogical - and get away with it. This book will make you maddeningly smart: your family, friends and opponents will all wish that you had never readTrade ReviewA highly thought provoking, enjoyable and entertaining read -- Zoe Page * The BookBag *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. What is an Argument 2. What does a Successful Argument Look Like? 3. What counts as Evidence? 4. Oral Arguments a) arguing with a friend b) arguing in a group c) arguing in a formal debate d) Presenting your case in a meeting 5. Written Arguments a) arguing in a letter, article of newspaper b) arguing on the internet c) how to argue on facebook d) winning an argument in 140 characters (arguing on twitter) 79 A-Z entries, including: Abusive analogy Blinding with science The complex question Damning the alternatives Exclusive premises The gambler's fallacy Hedging Irrelevent humour Loaded words The red herring Shifting ground Trivial objections Wishful thinking

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Book SynopsisThis textbook/software package covers first-order language in a method appropriate for a wide range of courses, from first logic courses for undergraduates (philosophy, mathematics, and computer science) to a first graduate logic course. The accompanying online grading service instantly grades solutions to hundreds of computer exercises. The second edition of "Language, Proof and Logic" represents a major expansion and revision of the original package and includes applications for mobile devices, additional exercises, a dedicated website, and increased software compatibility and support.

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Book SynopsisThis new and revised edition of Peter Kreeft’s Socratic Logic is updated, adding new exercises and more complete examples, all with Kreeft’s characteristic clarity and wit. Since its introduction in the spring of 2004, Socratic Logic has proven to be a different type of logic text:(1) This is the only complete system of classical Aristotelian logic in print. The “old logic” is still the natural logic of the four language arts (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). Symbolic, or “mathematical,” logic is not for the humanities. (How often have you heard someone argue in symbolic logic?)(2) This book is simple and user-friendly. It is highly interactive, with a plethora of exercises and a light, engaging style.(3) It is practical. It is designed for do-it-yourselfers as well as classrooms. It emphasizes topics in proportion to probable student use: e.g., interpreting ordinary language, not only analyzing but also constructing effective arguments, smoking out hidden assumptions, making “argument maps,” and using Socratic method in various circumstances.(4) It is philosophical. Its exercises expose students to many classical quotations, and additional chapters introduce philosophical issues in a Socratic manner and from a commonsense, realistic point of view. It prepares students for reading Great Books rather than Dick and Jane, and models Socrates as the beginner’s ideal teacher and philosopher.Table of ContentsPREFACE ix INTRODUCTION 1 1. What good is logic? 1 2. Seventeen ways this book is different 9 3. The two logics (P)* 15 4. All of logic in two pages: an overview (B)* 26 5. The three acts of the mind (B) 28 I. THE FIRST ACT OF THE MIND: UNDERSTANDING 35 1. Understanding: the thing that distinguishes man from both beast and computer (P) 35 2. Concepts, terms and words (P) 40 3. The “problem of universals” (P) 41 4. The extension and comprehension of terms 43 II. TERMS 47 1. Classifying terms 47 2. Categories (B) 54 3. Predicables (B) 56 4. Division and Outlining (B) 62 III. MATERIAL FALLACIES 68 1. Fallacies of language 71 2. Fallacies of diversion 80 3. Fallacies of oversimplification 86 4, Fallacies of argumentation 92 5. Inductive fallacies 100 6, Procedural fallacies 104 7. Metaphysical fallacies 109 8. Short Story: “Love Is a Fallacy” 114 IV. DEFINITION 123 1. The nature of definition (B) 123 2. The rules of definition (B) 124 3. The kinds of definition 124 4, The limits of definition 129 V. THE SECOND ACT OF THE MIND: JUDGMENT 138 1. Judgments, propositions, and sentences 138 2. What is truth? (P) 143 3. The four kinds of categorical propositions (B) 145 4. Logical form (B) 147 5. Euler’s circles (B) 152 6. Tricky propositions 153 7. The distribution of terms 163 VI. CHANGING PROPOSITIONS 166 1. Immediate inference 166 2. Conversion (B) 167 3. Obversion (B) 170 4. Contraposition 171 VII. CONTRADICTION 173 1. What is contradiction? (B) 173 2. The Square of Opposition (B) 174 3. Existential import (P) 179 4. Tricky propositions on the Square 181 5. Some practical uses of the Square of Opposition 183 VIII. THE THIRD ACT OF THE MIND: REASONING 186 1. What does “reason” mean? (P) 186 2. The ultimate foundations of the syllogism (P) 187 3. How to detect arguments 190 4. Arguments vs. explanations 193 5. Truth and validity 194 IX. DIFFERENT KINDS OF ARGUMENTS 200 1. Three meanings of “because” 200 2. The four causes (P) 202 3. A classification of arguments 205 4. Simple argument maps (B) 206 5. Deductive and Inductive reasoning (B) 210 6. Combining induction and deduction: Socratic method (P) 211 X. SYLLOGISMS 215 1. The structure and strategy of the syllogism (B) 215 2. The skeptic’s objection to the syllogism (P) 219 3. The empiricist’s objection to the syllogism (P) 222 4. Demonstrative syllogisms 230 5. How to construct convincing syllogisms (B) 232 XI. CHECKING SYLLOGISMS FOR VALIDITY 237 1. By Euler’s Circles (B) 237 2. By Aristotle’s six rules (B) 242 3. “Barbara Celarent”: mood and figure 257 4. Venn Diagrams 258 XII. MORE DIFFICULT SYLLOGISMS 264 1. Enthymemes: abbreviated syllogisms (B) 264 2. Sorites: chain syllogisms 275 3. Epicheiremas: multiple syllogisms (B) 279 4. Complex argument maps 282 XIII. COMPOUND SYLLOGISMS 289 1. Hypothetical syllogisms (B) 289 2. “Reductio ad absurdum” arguments 294 3. The practical syllogism: arguing about means and ends 296 4. Disjunctive syllogisms (B) 301 5. Conjunctive syllogisms (B) 303 6. Dilemmas (B) 306 XIV. INDUCTION 313 1. What is induction? 313 2. Generalization 315 3. Causal arguments: Mill’s methods 319 4. Scientific hypotheses 325 5. Statistical probability 328 6. Arguments by analogy 329 7. A fortiori and a minore arguments 335 XV. SOME PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF LOGIC 342 1. How to write a logical essay 342 2. How to write a Socratic dialogue 344 3. How to have a Socratic debate 348 4. How to use Socratic method on difficult people 350 5. How to read a book Socratically 355 XVI. SOME PHILOSOPHICAL APPLICATIONS OF LOGIC 358 1. Logic and theology (P) 358 2. Logic and metaphysics (P) 359 3. Logic and cosmology (P) 360 4. Logic and philosophical anthropology (P) 361 5. Logic and epistemology (P) 362 6. Logic and ethics (P) 362 APPENDIX: PROBLEMS WITH MATHEMATICAL LOGIC 364 1. Basic modern logic 364 2. The paradoxes of material implication 366 3. Responses to the paradoxes of material implication 367ANSWERS TO EVEN-NUMBERED EXERCISES 370INDEX OF PRINCIPAL NAMES 400

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Book SynopsisHermeneutics is the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, a behaviour that is intrinsic to our daily lives. As humans, we decipher the meaning of newspaper articles, books, legal matters, religious texts, political speeches, emails, and even dinner conversations every day . But how is knowledge mediated through these forms? What constitutes the process of interpretation? And how do we draw meaning from the world around us so that we might understand our position in it? In this Very Short Introduction Jens Zimmermann traces the history of hermeneutic theory, setting out its key elements, and demonstrating how they can be applied to a broad range of disciplines: theology; literature; law; and natural and social sciences. Demonstrating the longstanding and wide-ranging necessity of interpretation, Zimmermann reveals its significance in our current social and political landscape. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewThis very readable and much needed introduction breaks new ground in that it is the first to demonstrate, with insight, wit and a trove of illuminating examples, the importance of hermeneutics in all fields of knowledge. * Jean Grondin, Université de Montréal *Zimmerman offers one of the best short introductions to modern hermeneutics. The writing is at all times concise, clear and engaging. The author brilliantly evaluates the riches of this major intellectual tradition as well as revealing its ongoing creative influence on contemporary thought. * Richard Kearney, Charles Seelig Professor at Boston College and author of Anatheism and Carnal Hermeneutics. *An excellent introduction to that most characteristic of human activities, the attempt to understand. From the key figures in the development of the discipline to the application of their ideas in various fields, the reader is shown what it means to think hermeneutically and invited to do so as well. * Fr. John Behr, Dean, St Vladimir's Seminary *The Introduction clearly points to the major issues involved in hermeneutics. Jens Zimmermann writes excellently for a wide audience and the references to texting and to digital worlds gives it a contemporary feel. * Graham Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity, Christ Church Oxford, Director of Graduate Studies New York *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. What is Hermeneutics? ; 2. Hermeneutics: A brief history ; 3. Philosophical hermeneutics ; 4. Hermeneutics and theology ; 5. Hermeneutics and law ; 6. Hermeneutics and science ; 7. Hermeneutics and the humanities ; References ; Further reading ; Index

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Book SynopsisLogic is often perceived as having little to do with the rest of philosophy, and even less to do with real life. In this lively and accessible introduction, Graham Priest shows how wrong this conception is. He explores the philosophical roots of the subject, explaining how modern formal logic deals with issues ranging from the existence of God and the reality of time to paradoxes of probability and decision theory. Along the way, the basics of formal logic are explained in simple, non-technical terms, showing that logic is a powerful and exciting part of modern philosophy. In this new edition Graham Priest expands his discussion to cover the subjects of algorithms and axioms, and proofs in mathematics.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsPREFACE TO SECOND EDITION; PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION; GLOSSARY; PROBLEMS; PROBLEM SOLUTIONS; BIBLIOGRAPHY; GENERAL INDEX

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Book SynopsisA thinking person’s guide to a better life. Ward Farnsworth explains what the Socratic method is, how it works, and why it matters more than ever in our time. Easy to grasp yet challenging to master, the method will change the way you think about life’s big questions. “A wonderful book.”—Rebecca Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex. About 2,500 years ago, Plato wrote a set of dialogues that depict Socrates in conversation. The way Socrates asks questions, and the reasons why, amount to a whole way of thinking. This is the Socratic method—one of humanity’s great achievements. More than a technique, the method is an ethic of patience, inquiry, humility, and doubt. It is an aid to better thinking, and a remedy for bad habits of mind, whether in law, politics, the classroom, or tackling life’s big questions at the kitchen table. Drawing on hundreds of quotations, this book explains what the Socratic method is and how to use it. Chapters include Socratic Ethics, Ignorance, Testing Principles, and Socrates and the Stoics. Socratic philosophy is still startling after all these years because it is an approach to asking hard questions and chasing after them. It is a route to wisdom and a way of thinking about wisdom. With Farnsworth as your guide, the ideas of Socrates are easier to understand than ever and accessible to anyone.As Farnsworth achieved with The Practicing Stoic and the Farnsworth’s Classical English series, ideas of old are made new and vital again. This book is for those coming to philosophy the way Socrates did—as the everyday activity of making sense out of life and how to live it—and for anyone who wants to know what he said about doing that better.Trade ReviewPraise for The Socratic Method “Amid 21st-century rancor, a voice from ancient Athens offers an alternative: truth and a little humility....None should be discouraged from seeking out this remarkable book. By presenting the Socratic method as invitingly as it does, it eases the daunting task of taming the fanatical, irrational, censorious beasts in the American political zoo.”—Wall Street Journal “Learned, erudite, and elegant.”—The Millions “The Socratic method decelerates reasoning, making space for deliberation when disagreements arise. So, the Socratic method is, Farnsworth says, an antidote to some social pandemics of our day.” —George F. Will “A wonderful book. It is elegant, erudite, but wears its pedagogical virtues so lightly as to never come off as pedantic.”—Rebecca Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex“A group of bad American movies has unfortunately associated the Socratic method of inquiry and teaching with a bullying style of teaching. But the Socratic method was something very different to Socrates, and is something that remains at the heart of serious intellectual honesty. Ward Farnsworth’s important book is not only impressively erudite in its mining of classical sources, but is also the best account we have of what the Socratic method really is and why we dismiss or caricature it at our peril.”—Frederick Schauer, David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia “Many of us refer casually to the Socratic method and some of us think we practice it. But is only when reading Ward Farnsworth’s learned and inspiring book that one can begin to appreciate the profundity of Plato’s teaching and understand how its lessons are just what is needed in a world where invective and hasty judgments seem to have replaced deliberative reasoning and rational argument.”—Stanley Fish, author of Winning Arguments“A great success. There is nothing like it. An excellent resource both for students and for general readers.”—A. A. Long, author of Epictetus: A Stoic and Socratic Guide to Life“A beautifully written, immensely thoughtful, and multi-faceted book. Ward Farnsworth offers a fresh understanding of the Socratic method as it’s represented in Plato’s early dialogs, then shows how it can be internalized as a way of bettering intelligence.”—Henry Abelove, Professor Emeritus of English, Wesleyan University “Ward Farnsworth’s The Socratic Method deserves attention from scholars and lawyers and teachers of law—but, really, from anyone who wants to practice clear thinking. The book rests on a firm foundation of scholarship and then goes on to do something at which few such scholarly works succeed: it is useful for ordinary readers. It is indeed a practitioner’s handbook. Read it to enlarge your knowledge of ancient thought, but also read it for the mental exercises all thinkers need in order to stay agile.”—Paul Woodruff, author of The Garden of Leaders: Revolutionizing Higher Education“Ward Farnsworth’s brilliant new book, The Socratic Method, offers powerful insights into the most important and effective means for discovering the truth, or at least coming closer to it, in education, politics, business, and everyday relations. Building on the wisdom of Socrates, Farnsworth makes clear not only why Socratic discourse is essential, but also how to undertake such discourse in a positive and affirming manner. This is especially important today at a time of deep political polarization in which Americans increasingly speak only to people like themselves and hold those who disagree with them in disdain. This state of affairs, no doubt contributed to by the advent of social media, poses a serious threat to a well-functioning democracy. If we as a nation are to make it through these times and preserve the most fundamental premises of our democracy, we must all learn how to engage in Socratic discourse and embrace the principles of an open mind, rigorous questioning and honest debate. This book offers essential lessons to anyone seeking to preserve American democracy.”—Geoffrey R. Stone, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Professor of Law, The University of Chicago More by Ward Farnsworth:The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User’s Manual:“As befits a good Stoic, Farnsworth’s expository prose exhibits both clarity and an unflappable calm… Throughout The Practicing Stoic, Farnsworth beautifully integrates his own observations with scores of quotations from Epictetus, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Montaigne and others. As a result, this isn’t just a book to read—it’s a book to return to, a book that will provide perspective and consolation at times of heartbreak or calamity.”—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post“It is reported that upon Seneca’s tomb are written the words, Who’s Minding the Stoa? He would be pleased to know the answer is Ward Farnsworth.”—David Mamet“This is a book any thoughtful person will be glad to have along as a companion for an extended weekend or, indeed, for that protracted journey we call life.”—The New Criterion“This sturdy and engaging introductory text consists mostly of excerpts from the ancient Greek and Roman Stoic philosophers, especially Seneca, Epictetus through his student Arrian, and Marcus Aurelius as well as that trio’s philosophical confreres, from the earlier Hellenic Stoics and Cicero to such contemporaries as Plutarch to moderns, including Montaigne, Adam Smith, and Schopenhauer… A philosophy to live by, Stoicism may remind many of Buddhism and Quakerism, for it asks of practitioners something very similar to what those disciplines call mindfulness.”—Booklist Farnsworth’s Classical English Style:“Mr. Farnsworth has written an original and absorbing guide to English style. Get it if you can.”—Wall Street Journal“For writers aspiring to master the craft, Farnsworth shows how it’s done. For lovers of language, he provides waves of sheer pleasure.”—Steven Pinker“An eloquent study of the very mechanisms of eloquence.”—Henry Hitchings“A great and edifying pleasure.”—Mark Helprin“A storehouse of effective writing, showing the techniques you may freely adapt to make music of your own.”—The Baltimore SunFarnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric:“I must refrain from shouting what a brilliant work this is (præteritio). Farnsworth has written the book as he ought to have written it – and as only he could have written it (symploce). Buy it and read it – buy it and read it (epimone).”—Bryan A. Garner“The most immediate pleasure of this book is that it heightens one’s appreciation of the craft of great writers and speakers. Mr. Farnsworth includes numerous examples from Shakespeare and Dickens, Thoreau and Emerson, Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln. He also seems keen to rehabilitate writers and speakers whose rhetorical artistry is undervalued; besides his liking for Chesterton, he shows deep admiration for the Irish statesman Henry Grattan (1746-1820), whose studied repetition of a word (‘No lawyer can say so; because no lawyer could say so without forfeiting his character as a lawyer’) is an instance, we are told, of conduplicatio. But more than anything Mr. Farnsworth wants to restore the reputation of rhetorical artistry per se, and the result is a handsome work of reference.”—Henry Hitchings, Wall Street JournalFarnsworth’s Classical English Metaphor:“Ward Farnsworth is a witty commentator…It’s a book to dip in and savor.”—The Boston Globe“Most people will find it a grab-bag of memorable quotations, an ideal browsing book for the nightstand.”—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post“I want this book to be beside my bed for years to come, a treasure-house of the liquid magic of words.”—Simon Winchester“A feat of elegant demystification…Farnsworth is able to focus on the finite material of metaphorical referents…a brilliant strategy, both in its utility for writers and the inherent insight Farnsworth’s divisions suggest about metaphors.”—Jonathan Russell Clark, The Millions

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Book Synopsis"Outlines of Pyrrhonism".

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Book SynopsisA TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 ''Punchy, funny and invigorating ... Pinker is the high priest of rationalism'' Sunday Times ''If you''ve ever considered taking drugs to make yourself smarter, read Rationality instead. It''s cheaper, more entertaining, and more effective'' Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind In the twenty-first century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding - and at the same time appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that discovered vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, quack cures and conspiracy theorizing? In Rationality, Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are simply an irrational species - cavemen out of time fatally cursed with biases, fallacies and illusions. After all, we discovered the laws of nature, lengthened and enriched our lives and set the benchmarks for rationality itself. Instead, he explains, we think in ways that suit the low-tech contexts in which we spend most of our lives, but fail to take advantage of the powerful tools of reasoning we have built up over millennia: logic, critical thinking, probability, causal inference, and decision-making under uncertainty. These tools are not a standard part of our educational curricula, and have never been presented clearly and entertainingly in a single book - until now. Rationality matters. It leads to better choices in our lives and in the public sphere, and is the ultimate driver of social justice and moral progress. Brimming with insight and humour, Rationality will enlighten, inspire and empower. ''A terrific book, much-needed for our time'' Peter SingerTrade ReviewSteven Pinker is the high priest of rationalism ... [This book] is an impassioned and zippy introduction to the tools of rational thought ... Pinker wants probability theory and psychological biases to be taught in schools and universities. Punchy, funny and invigorating, this could be the textbook. -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *Steven Pinker is among the best science writers in history, and with Rationality he applies his talents to one of the most important and misunderstood human abilities - tracking reality with a brain that was designed to do so under some circumstances but not others. If you've ever considered taking drugs to make yourself smarter, read Rationality instead. It's cheaper, more entertaining, and more effective. -- Jonathan Haidt, NYU-Stern School of Business and author of The Righteous MindThe Enlightenment torchbearer is eloquent in his defence of clear thinking ... [reason] is a tool that human beings have to learn to use with care, something this book will help any reader to do. -- Julian Baggini * Financial Times *Rationality ­- like all of Pinker's work - [is] a paen to human potential... what Pinker really trades in are profoundly refreshing, energising sets of explanations for why we do and think the way we do ... harnessing reason is not just useful in all kinds of ways both personal and universal, but a wondrous property of being human. -- Zoe Strimpel * Daily Telegraph *Almost every sentence in Rationality is crisp and intelligible, which is quite a feat, given that explaining logic to humans is like teaching them Sanskrit. Pinker suggests various ways to run our collective affairs more rationally. -- Simon Kuper * New Statesman *A reader-friendly primer in better thinking through the cultivation of that rarest of rarities: a sound argument. * Kirkus *Rationality is a terrific book, much-needed for our time. In addition to drawing together the tools for overcoming obstacles to rational thinking, Pinker breaks new ground with the evidence he provides linking rationality and moral progress. -- Peter Singer

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Book SynopsisThis powerful book introduces core critical thinking concepts and principles as an empowering problem-solving framework for every profession, course of study, and indeed every area of life. The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools distills the groundbreaking work of Richard Paul and Linda Elder, targeting how to deconstruct thinking through the elements of reasoning and how to assess the quality of our thinking. The eighth edition of this guide further details the foundations of critical thinking and how they can be applied in instruction to improve teaching and learning at all levels; it also reveals how we can learn to identify and avoid egocentric and sociocentric thought, which lead to close-mindedness, self-deception, arrogance, hypocrisy, greed, selfishness, herd mentality, prejudice, and the like. With more than half a million copies sold, Richard Paul and Linda Elder’s bestselling book in the Thinker’s Guide Library is used in secondary and higher education courses and professional development seminars across the globe. In a world of conflicting information and clashing ideologies, this guide clears a path for advancing fairminded critical societies.Trade ReviewThe work of Linda Elder and Richard Paul is vital to the progress of our democratic society. Read this book, change your life, and in the process make the world a safe and saner place to live. -- Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic MagazineThe absolute and essential guide for learning a system and process for thinking critically in all areas of your life. -- Bryan Deptula, CEO, BKD LeadersPacked with more relevant information than any large textbook. Don't ever lose it, and refer to it often. -- Neal Fleisher, clinical professor, Boston UniversityA brief, but excellent introductory guide to the foundational concepts of critical thinking. -- Linda Tym, associate professor, Southern Adventist University

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Book SynopsisThis second edition has been extensively revised with updated examples and a brand new chapter on how to obtain reliable information from the internet.Table of Contents1. What is critical thinking and how to improve it; 2. Identifying reasons and conclusions: the language of reasoning; 3. Understanding reasoning: different patterns of reasoning; 4. Understanding reasoning: assumptions, context and a thinking map; 5. Clarifying and interpreting expressions and ideas; 6. The acceptability of reasons: including their credibility; 7. Judging the credibility of sources skilfully; 8. Evaluating inferences: deductive validity and other grounds; 9. evaluating inferences: assumptions and other relevant arguments; 10. Reasoning about causal explanations; 11. Decision-making: options, consequences, values and risks; 12. Critical thinking about the internet (how to get reliable information from the internet); Questions appendix; Answers to questions; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisDavid Morrow and Anthony Weston build on Weston's acclaimed A Rulebook for Arguments to offer a complete textbook for a course in critical thinking or informal logic. Features of the book include: Homework exercises adapted from a wide range of actual arguments from newspapers, philosophical texts, literature, movies, YouTube videos, and other sources. Practical advice to help students succeed when applying the Rulebook's rules. Suggestions for further practice that outline activities students can do by themselves or with classmates to improve their critical thinking skills. Detailed instructions for in-class activities and take-home assignments designed to engage students in critical thinking. An appendix on mapping arguments, a topic not included in the Rulebook, that introduces students to this vital skill in evaluating or constructing complex and multi-step arguments. Model responses to odd-numbered exercises, including commentaries on the strengths and weaknesses of selected model responses as well as further discussion of some of the substantive intellectual, philosophical, and ethical issues raised by the exercises. The third edition of Workbook contains the entire text of the recent fifth edition of the Rulebook, supplementing this core text with extensive further explanations and exercises.Updated and improved homework exercises ensure that the examples continue to resonate with today’s students. Roughly one-third of the exercises have been replaced with updated or improved examples.A new chapter on engaging constructively in public debates—including five new sets of exercises—trains students to engage respectfully and constructively on controversial topics, an increasingly important skill in our hyper-partisan age. Three new critical thinking activities offer further opportunities to practice constructive dialogue.Trade ReviewOn the first edition: "Quite simply, one of the best critical-thinking texts I have read. Unlike many critical-thinking books, there is a particular and efficacious focus on helping the reader write an argumentative essay. . . . The expository clarity is as good as it gets." —Chris Jackson, Teaching Philosophy

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Book SynopsisCritical thinking shows people how to analyze arguments, speeches, and newspaper articles to see which faults the authors are making in their reasoning. It looks at the structure of language to demonstrate rules by which you can identify good analytical thinking and helps people to formulate clear defensible arguments themselves. As people are always trying to put a certain point/opinion across in a variety of arenas in our lives, this is a very useful skill. With real life newspaper extracts, a glossary, exercises and answers, and a guide to essay writing, this is an invaluable tool for both students wanting to improve their grades and general readers wanting to boost their brainpower.

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Book SynopsisVagueness is the study of concepts that admit borderline cases. The epistemology of vagueness concerns attitudes we should have towards propositions we know to be borderline. On this basis Andrew Bacon develops a new theory of vagueness in which vagueness is fundamentally a property of propositions, explicated in terms of its role in thought.Trade ReviewThough I find Bacon's view of vagueness impossible to accept, I still think this is a terrific book. Bacon has a wonderful sense for which issues are substantive and which merely superficial, and in focusing our attention on Rational Supervenience and Indifference, he has opened up some genuinely new questions. In addition to the main line of thought sketched above, the book contains illuminating treatments of many connected topics (for example, the connections between necessity and determinacy). It will richly reward anyone with an interest in its subject. * John MacFarlane, Philosophical Review *This is a remarkable book. I accept its main thesis, that propositional vagueness is more fundamental than sentential vagueness. I am in favor of treating vague beliefs in probabilistic terms, and the investigation of how we should reason with vague beliefs and vague desires is a valuable project. There has been relatively little work on this, and Bacon's book goes much further than any before. The idea of using Jeffrey conditioning to explain the impact of vague beliefs is an excellent one. * Dorothy Edgington, Journal of Philosophy *Table of ContentsPart I: Background 1: Non-Classical and Nihilistic Approaches 2: Classical Approaches: An Overview of the Current Debate 3: An Outline of a Theory of Propositional Vagueness Part II: Epistemological Matters 4: Vagueness and Language 5: Vagueness and Ignorance 6: Vagueness and Evidence 7: Probabilism, Assertion and Higher-order Vagueness 8: Vagueness and Uncertainty 9: Vagueness and Decision 10: Vagueness and Desire Part III: Logical Matters 11: Vague Propositions 12: Vagueness and Precision 13: Symmetry Semantics 14: Vagueness and the World 15: Vagueness and Modality 16: Vague Objects 17: Beyond Vagueness 18: Appendices

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Book SynopsisCritical Thinking is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the essential skills of good reasoning. The authors provide a thorough treatment of such central topics as deductive and inductive reasoning, logical fallacies, how to recognize and avoid ambiguity, and how to distinguish what is relevant from what is not. Later chapters discuss the application of critical thinking skills to particular topics and tasks, including scientific reasoning, moral reasoning, legal reasoning, media analysis, and essay writing. The book also provides complimentary access to a companion website containing additional questions, flashcards, and other useful critical thinking resources.Trade Review“This textbook stands out from others for its clarity, which is due in large part to the conceptual organization of the material it covers. Rather than artificially carving out various aspects of critical thinking for individual treatment, the authors simply and carefully develop ideas, step by step. This approach makes clear how various aspects of careful, critical thinking come together, allowing students to develop their skills along the way.” — Joshua Smith, Central Michigan UniversityTable of Contents Acknowledgements Online Materials PART ONE: INTRODUCTION Chapter 1: Reasoning and Critical Thinking PART TWO: MEANING Chapter 2: Meaning and Definition Chapter 3: Clarifying Meaning Chapter 4: Reconstructing Arguments PART THREE: ASSESSING ARGUMENTS Chapter 5: Strategies for Assessing Arguments Chapter 6: Assessing Truth-Claims Chapter 7: Assessing Relevance Chapter 8: Assessing Adequacy Chapter 9: Deductive Reasoning Chapter 10: Inductive Reasoning PART FOUR: APPLICATIONS Chapter 11: Scientific Reasoning Chapter 12: Moral Reasoning Chapter 13: Legal Reasoning Chapter 14: Arguing Back Chapter 15: Irrational Techniques of Persuasion Chapter 16: Critiquing the Media Chapter 17: Writing and Assessing Argumentative Essays Chapter 18: Strategies for Organizing an Argumentative Essay Appendix I: Paradoxes and Puzzles Appendix II: Answers to Self-Tests Glossary Permission Acknowlegments Index

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Book SynopsisIf you can''t prove something, it is literally senseless - so argues Ayer in this irreverent and electrifying book. Statements are either true by definition (as in maths), or can be verified by direct experience. Ayer rejected metaphysical claims about god, the absolute, and objective values as completely nonsensical. Ayer was only 24 when he finished LANGUAGE, TRUTH & LOGIC, yet it shook the foundations of Anglo-American philosophy and made its author notorious. It became a classic text, cleared away the cobwebs in philosophical thinking, and has been enormously influential.

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Book SynopsisTHE classic work of intelligent self-empowerment from the world-renowned writer and philosopher Edward de BonoOur happiness and success depend on clear thinking. But too many of us are compromised by confusion, trying to do too much at once, and not knowing what to do next.In Teach Yourself to Think, Edward de Bono shows that good thinking depends on a simple five-stage process that anyone can learn. It will enable you to assess your goals, sort available information, identify the available choices, make a decision and, finally, turn thought into action.This book offers brilliant advice for anyone who needs to be able to respond to and deal with a vast range of situations at work and in life quickly, efficiently and intelligently.Trade ReviewAn inspiring man with brilliant ideas. De Bono never ceases to amaze with his clarity of thought. Richard Branson

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Book SynopsisThis third volume of the monumental commentary on Wittgenstein''s Philosophical Investigations covers sections 243-427, which constitute the heart of the book. Like the previous volumes, it consists of philosophical essays and exegesis. The thirteen essays cover all the major themes of this part of Wittgenstein''s masterpiece: the private language arguments, privacy, avowals and descriptions, private ostensive definition, criteria, minds and machines, behavior and behaviorism, the self, the inner and the outer, thinking, consciounesss, and the imagination. The exegesis clarifies and evaluates Wittgenstein''s arguments, drawing extensively on all the unpublished papers, examining the evolution of his ideas in manuscript sources and definitively settling many controversies about the interpretation of the published text. This commentary, like its predecessors, is indispensable for the study of Wittgenstein and is essential reading for students of the philosophy of mind. ATrade ReviewOn Volume 1 of An Analytical Commentary on the Philosophical Investigations: "Baker and Hacker skilfully conduct the reader through the tangles of controversy that surround the topics of sense and Meaning. They have an admirable grasp of the whole corpus of Wittgenstein's writings, and they constantly display the sharp contrasts between Wittgenstein's thought and currently influential 'scientific' semantics." Norman Malcolm, Times Literacy Supplement "For someone who wants to understand, point for point and in detail, how Wittgenstein's later philosophy upsets the philosophies of Russell, Frege and the Tractatus, this is the book to read." Philosophical Books On Volume 2: "The authors showed in the first volume that they had in fukll measure the combination of scholarship and philosophical excellence neede to expound and illuminate the intracies of the text. That combination is apparent on every page of the present work." B. Rundle, Philosophical InvestigationsTable of ContentsNote to the paperback edition viii Acknowledgements x Preface xiii Abbreviations xviii Chapter 1 The Private Language Arguments (§§243 – 315) 3 Chapter 2 Thought (§§316 -62) 147 Chapter 3 Imagination (§§363 -97) 213 Chapter 4 The Self and Self-Reference (§§398 – 411) 267 Chapter 5 Consciousness (§§412 – 27) 291 Index 311

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Book SynopsisThis work provides an accessible introduction to Hegel's logic. The text is suitable for students about to embark on the study of this most challenging subject, as well as readers at any level of sophistication.Trade ReviewOne of the best short introductions to Hegel's logic I know. It gives a comprehensive survey that is easy to understand. --Michael Wolff, Universitat BielefeldTable of ContentsContents: Preface; Introduction; With What Must the Science of Logic Begin?; Being; Quality; Quantity; Essence; Ground; Appearance; Relation; Actuality; Absolute Relations; The Concept; The Object; The Idea; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisThis is a corrected second impression of the original bilingual critical edition of Poinsot’s work on signs completed in 1632. New materials include a new “Foreword” by the translator and a full table of correlations between the independent Tractatus edition and the original Cursus Philo-sophicus from which that edition was established. The Cursus Philosophicus was one of the two great syntheses of Latin thought made in the lifetime of Descartes. Yet only that of Francis Suarez in 1597, the Disputationes Metaphysicae, was destined to be read by the early moderns. This is a work of immense erudition that synthesizes the matter of signs philosophy from Aristotle and his successors in Greece and Rome to the pre-eminent St. Thomas Aquinas in the Middle Ages and so on through the leading schools of Renaissance thought. Poinsot was instrumental in the twentieth-century revival of Thomism led by Jacques Maritain. His seminal Introduction to the Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas (St. Augustine’s Press, 2004)

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Book SynopsisIf a man supports Arsenal one day and Spurs the next then he is fickle but not necessarily illogical. From this starting point, and assuming no previous knowledge of logic, Wilfrid Hodges takes the reader through the whole gamut of logical expressions in a simple and lively way. Readers who are more mathematically adventurous will find optional sections introducing rather more challenging material. ''A lively and stimulating book'' PhilosophyTrade Review'A lively and stimulating book' PhilosophyTable of ContentsPart 1 Consistency: consistent sets of beliefs. Part 2 Expressing beliefs in sentences: beliefs and words; declarative sentences; ambiguity. Part 3 When is a sentence true?: truth and references; borderline cases and bizarre situations; misleading statements; possible situations and meanings. Part 4 Testing for consistency and validity: consistent sets of short sentences; the tableau technique; arguments. Part 5 How are complex sentences built up?: phrase-classes; phrase-markers; scope; context-free grammars. Part 6 Logical analysis: sentence-functors and truth-functors; some basic truth-functors; special problems with "->" and ""; analyis of complex sentences. Part 7 Sentence tableaux: sentence tableaux; interpretations. Part 8 Propositional calculus: a formal language; truth-tables; properties of semantic entailment; formal tableaux. Part 9 Designators and identity: designators and predicates; purely referential occurrences; two policies on reference; identity. Part 10 Relations: satisfaction; binary relations; "same", "at least" and "more"; equivalence relations. Part 11 Quantifiers: quantification; "all" and "some"; quantifier rules. Part 12 Predicate logic: logical scope; analyses using identity; predicate interpretations; predicate tableaux; formalization again. Part 13 Horizons of logic: likelihood; intension; semantics.

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Book SynopsisA collection of Marcus's essays which includes her earlier axiomatizations of quantified modal logic, and explores such topics as the necessity of identity, the directly referential role of proper names as tags, and the interplay of possibility and existence.Trade ReviewMarcus is a brilliant, original, learned, tenacious, and productive scholar ... this review of the development of her thought, its connections with some important historical figures, and her differences with other contemporary philosophers [is] of great value. * David Kaplan, University of California *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Modalities and Intensional Languages ; 2. Iterated Deontic Modalities ; 3. Essentialism in Modal Logic ; 4. Essential attribution ; Appendix: Strict implication, deducibility and the deduction theorem ; 5. Quantification and ontology ; 6. Classes, collections, assortments, and individuals ; 7. Does the principle of substitutivity rest on a mistake? ; 8. Nominalism and the substitutional quantifier ; 9. Moral dilemmas and consistency ; 10. Rationality and believing the impossible ; 11. Spinoza and the ontological proof ; 12. On some post-1920s views of Russell on particularity, identity and individiation ; 13. Possibilia and possible worlds ; 14. A backward look at Quine's animadversions on modalities ; 15. Some revisionary proposals about belief and believing

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Book SynopsisThe Science of Conjecture provides a history of rational methods of dealing with uncertainty and explores the coming to consciousness of the human understanding of risk.Trade ReviewA remarkable book. Mr. Franklin writes clearly and exhibits a wry wit. But he also ranges knowledgeably across many disciplines and over many centuries. Wall Street Journal The Science of Conjecture opens an old chest of human attempts to draw order from havoc and wipes clean the rust from some cast-off classical tools that can now be reused to help build a framework for the unpredictable future. Science Franklin's style is clear and fluent, with an occasional sly Gibbonian aside to make the reader chuckle. New Criterion An admirably accessible study written in a crisp prose. It presents the reader with anarching historical perspective throughout many a century of human action. -- Giora Hon Centaurus Franklin gives a magisterial account of matters as diverse as the Talmud, Justinian's Digest, torture, witch hunts, Tudor treason trials, ancient and medieval astronomy and physics, humanist historiography, scholastic philosophy, speculations in public debt, and 17th century mathematics. His treatment of medieval law is among the best I have ever read. International Journal of Evidence and Proof Franklin's book is magnificent... Think of [it] as a non-fiction equivalent of Tolstoy's War and Peace. -- Peter Tillers The Jurist The Science of Conjecture is a masterly work, beautifully written, and based on encyclopaedic research... It is simply a tour de force that is unlikely to be surpassed for many a year. -- Barry Miller The Thomist Statistics teachers who like to sprinkle a little history and philosophy into their classes will find much here to delight and challenge them... This is a serious and scholarly work that I expect often will inform my teaching. -- Richard J. Cleary Journal of the American Statistical Association [This book has given me] sheer enjoyment in its density of strange information, in the wit and clarity if its writing, and in the vigour of its argumentation. I recommend it unreservedly to all interested in its subject. -- Oliver Mayo Australian and New Zealand Journal of Statistics This is the intellectual book of the year, and it ought to become one of the great classics of intellectual history. -- Scott Campbell Interdisciplinary Science Reviews The strength of The Science of Conjecture lies in its panoramic exposition of developments across the centuries and across intellectual disciplines and human endeavors. It is, as one reviewer wrote, 'a magesterial account of matters as diverse as the Talmud, Justinian's Digest, torture, witch hunts, Tudor treason trials, ancient and medieval astronomy and physics, humanist histriography, scholastic philosophy, speculations in public debt, and 17th century mathematics.' -- D. H. Kaye Law and History Review A remarkable book. Mr. Franklin writes clearly and exhibits a wry wit. But he also ranges knowledgeably across many disciplines and over many centuries. There are several reasons to read this book, but perhaps the best reason is its contemporary relevance. The lessons he discusses have pertinence to an age like ours, which has witnessed a gradual waning of faith in the objectivity of the relation of uncertain evidence to conclusion. Wall Street Journal In The Science of Conjecture, James Franklin shows us how deeply and subtly jurists and philosophers from ancient Greece onwards have explored how we can deal rationally with real-life cases (law cases, for instance, or scientific experiments) where the link between cause and effect is not obvious. -- J.M. Coetzee The Australian Since many in the nominalist/empiricist/positivist tradition deny that we can know natures, this book has a place in teacher education as well as legal education for the challenges it poses the reader on how we know, and how well we know, through induction, perception and abstraction. Metascience The text has an even wider importance in that it signals the need for more, not less, study of the history, philosophy and social studies in science to occupy a greater space in undergraduate degrees so that an educated electorate is better able to evaluate what the STEM community tells us is good for the progress of society. MetascienceTable of ContentsContents: Preface Chapter 1: The Ancient Law of Proof Egypt and Mesopotamia; The Talmud; Roman Law; Proof and Presumptions; Indian LawChapter 2: The Medieval Law of Evidence: Suspicion, Half-proof, and the Inquisition Dark Age Ordeals; The Gregorian Revolution; The Glossators Invent Half-Proof; Presumptions in Canon Law; Grades of Evidence and Torture; The Postglossators Bartolus and Baldus; The Competed Theory; The Inquisition; Law in the EastChapter 3: Renaissance Law Henry VIII Presumed Wed; Tudor Treason Trials; Continental Laws: The Treatises on Presumptions; The Witch Inquisitors; English Legal Theory and the Reasonable ManChapter 4: The Doubting Conscience and Moral Certainty Penance and Doubts; The Doctrine of Probabilism; Suarez: Negative and Positive Doubt; Grotius, Silhon, and the Morality of the State; Hobbes and the Risk of Attack; The Scandal of Laxism; English Casuists Pursue the Middle Way; Juan Caramuel Lobkowitz, Prince of Laxists; Pascal's Provincial LettersChapter 5: Rhetoric, Logic, Theory The Greek Vocabulary of Probability; The Sophists and the Art of Persuasion; Aristotle's Rhetoric and Logic; The Rhetoric to Alexander; Roman Rhetoric: Cicero and Quintilian; Islamic Logic; The Scholastic Dialectical Syllogism; Probability in Ordinary Language; Humanist Rhetoric; Late Scholastic LogicChapter 6: Hard Science Observation and Theory; Aristotle's Not-by-Chance Argument; Averaging of Observations in Greek Astronomy; The Simplicity of Theories; Nicole Oresme on Relative Frequency; Copernicus; Kepler Harmonizes Observations; Galileo on the Probability of Copernican HypothesisChapter 7: Soft Science and History The Physiognomics; Divination and Astrology; The Empiric School of Medicine on Drug Testing; The Talmud and Maimonides on Majorities; Vernacular Averaging and Quality Control; Experimentation in Biology; The Authority of Histories; The Authenticity of Documents; Valla and the Donation of Constantine; Cano and the Signs of True HistoriesChapter 8: Philosophy: Action and Induction Carneades's Mitigated Skepticism; The Epicureans on Inference from Signs; Inductive Skepticism and Avicenna's Reply; Aquinas on Tendencies; Scotus and Ockham on Induction; Nicholas of Autrecourt; The Decline of the West; Bacon and Descartes: Certainty? or Moral Certainty?; The Jesuits and Hobbes on Induction; Pascal's Deductivist Philosophy of ScienceChapter 9: Religion: Laws of God, Laws of Nature The Argument from Design; The Church Fathers; Inductive Skepticism by Revelation; John of Salisbury; Maimonides on Creation; Are Laws of Nature Necessary?; The Reasonableness of Christianity; Pascal's WagerChapter 10: Aleatory Contracts: Insurance, Annuities, and Bets The Price of Peril; Doubtful Claims in Jewish Law; Olivi on Usury and Future Profits; Pricing Life Annuities; Speculation in Public Debt; Insurance Rates; Renaissance Bets and Speculation; Lots and Lotteries; Commerce and the CasuistsChapter 11: Dice Games of Chance in Antiquity; The Medieval Manuscript on the Interrupted Game; Cardano; Gamblers and Casuists; Galileo's Fragment; De Mere and Roberval; The Fermat-Pascal Correspondence; Huygens' Reckoning in Games of Chance; CaramuelChapter 12: Conclusion Subsymbolic Probability and the Transition to Symbols; Kinds of Probability and the Stages of Discovering Them; Why Not Earlier?; Two Parallel Histories; The Genius of the Scholastics and the Orbit of Aristotle; The Place of Law in the history of IdeasEpilogue: The Survival of Unquantified Probability The Port-Royal Logic; Leibniz's Logic of Probability; To the PresentAppendix: Review of Work before 1660

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Book SynopsisCurrent edition descriptionWritten by two of the leading experts in critical thinking, this book focuses on an integrated, universal concept of critical thinking that is both substantive and applicable to any and every situation in which human thinking is necessary. It provides readerse with the basic intellectual tools needed for life-long learning, helping them understand the mind and how its three functions — thinking, feeling, motivation — influence and are influenced by one another. This book fosters the development of fair-minded critical thinking. Features the intellectual standards: clarity, precision, accuracy, logicalness, significance, depth, breadth, and fairness; The importance of good questioning; and intellectual tools to read for deep and lasting comprehension, and to write in ways that show clarity of reasonability of thought. For all that want to improve their critical thinking skills to apply to their job or life.The text features:Think for Yourself activities – throughout each chapter. (Ex. pp 29, 127).~Help students take ownership of basic concepts as they learn them.Practical and learnable format.~Simplifies complex ideas to make learning easier for students.Focus on thinking across the disciplines. (Ex. pp 119-120).~Helps students to think within the various disciplines, rather than memorizing facts. Students are taught to learn to think like an historian, like a scientist, like a psychologist, etc.Critical thinking focus – When students internalize intellectual standards – such as clarity, precision, accuracy, logicalness, significance, depth, breadth, and fairness – they use them on a daily basis to upgrade their thinking, and to assess the thinking of others. (Ex. 12, 152).~Gives students intellectual standards they can use in every dimension of their thinking.Features intellectual tools to read for deep and lasting comprehension, and to write in ways that show clarity of reasonability of thought. (Ex. 133).~Teaches students to read closely and write substantively.Good questions are the key to good thinking – Thinkers who know how to ask relevant questions in context are better able to think their way through complex issues. (Ex. pp 83, 87, 93).~Teaches students to ask the questions the best thinkers ask.Website – www.criticalthinking.org.~Links students to the world’s largest and most prestigious critical thinking website and provides forums for student and faculty discussions.International approach – with translations into German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and Malay.~Provides students with the opportunity to read portions of the text in their native language."This book is well-written, lucid and contains abundant examples and applications that not only enliven the subject matter but present relevant contexts for building understanding and advanced critical thinking. In addition, it is faithful to the complexity and work required to improve one's thinking. It does not soft-pedal the challenge but actually throws down the gauntlet to the worthy Reader to pick it up."--Stephen J. Knopp, Ph.D., Ohio University "This concise version is a more comprehensive and robust textbook. Many Critical Thinking books cover thinking from a narrow angle, but Paul and Elder offer a model of critical thinking that can be applied not only to academic disciplines but also to life in general."--Connie Wolfe, Surry Community College

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Book SynopsisDo you believe that you can consistently beat the stock market if you put in the effort? -that some people have extrasensory perception? -that crime and drug abuse in America are on the rise? Many people hold one or more of these beliefs although research shows that they are not true. And it's no wonder since advertising and some among the media promote these and many more questionable notions. Although our creative problem-solving capacity is what has made humans the successful species we are, our brains are prone to certain kinds of errors that only careful critical thinking can correct. This enlightening book discusses how to recognize faulty thinking and develop the necessary skills to become a more effective problem solver. Author Thomas Kida identifies "the six-pack of problems" that leads many of us unconsciously to accept false ideas: · We prefer stories to statistics. · We seek to confirm, not to question, our ideas. · We rarely appreciate the role of chance and coincidence in shaping events. · We sometimes misperceive the world around us. · We tend to oversimplify our thinking. · Our memories are often inaccurate. Kida vividly illustrates these tendencies with numerous examples that demonstrate how easily we can be fooled into believing something that isn't true. In a complex society where success-in all facets of life-often requires the ability to evaluate the validity of many conflicting claims, the critical-thinking skills examined in this informative and engaging book will prove invaluable.

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Book SynopsisFor thousands of years, mathematicians have used the timeless art of logic to see the world more clearly. In The Art of Logic, Royal Society Science Book Prize nominee Eugenia Cheng shows how anyone can think like a mathematician - and see, argue and think better. Learn how to simplify complex decisions without over-simplifying them. Discover the power of analogies and the dangers of false equivalences. Find out how people construct misleading arguments, and how we can argue back. Eugenia Cheng teaches us how to find clarity without losing nuance, taking a careful scalpel to the complexities of politics, privilege, sexism and dozens of other real-world situations. Her Art of Logic is a practical and inspiring guide to decoding the modern world.Trade ReviewMind-expanding ... a meaningful contribution to creating a better society as well as happier conversations and relationships * Guardian *A mathematician's thought-provoking attempt to lay out the tools of rational argument -- Michael Brooks * New Statesman Books of the Year *With humour, grace, and a natural gift for making explanations seem fun, Eugenia Cheng has done it again. This is a book to savour, to consult, and to buy for all your friends. You'll think more clearly after reading this book, something that is unfortunately in short supply these days. I am buying several copies to send to heads of state. -- Daniel Levitin, bestselling author of The Organised Mind & A Field Guide to Lies and StatisticsIn an era awash with conflict, exploitation, tribalism and fake news, the "illuminating precision" offered by logic is important. Cheng harnesses the power of abstraction to explore real-life phenomena such as sexism and white privilege. She walks us through the grand terrain of logic, from axioms to proofs. And she reveals how to build arguments as long chains of logical implications - a "virtuosic and masterful" skill that, combined with intelligent emotional engagement, can cut through pervasive irrationality * Nature *A perceptive analysis of logic and its limitations ... Cheng is successful not only in helping readers think more clearly, but in helping them understand why others sometimes appear to be illogical. This book has the potential to help understanding and avoid confrontational arguments that serve only to entrench opposing views * Times Higher Education *Radical and liberating * Emerald Street *We're thankful that someone like Eugenia Cheng is here; someone to eloquently and efficiently expound on concepts like logic and truth at a time when their very basis seems to come under attack ... We're forever on the lookout for someone to make mathematics both fun and accessible, and it looks like we've found that person in Eugenia Cheng * How it Works Magazine *A concert pianist, mathematician, polyglot and YouTube star, Cheng has carved out quite a niche for herself ... she brings an ebullient enthusiasm that's infectious * Guardian *Witty, charming, and crystal clear. Eugenia Cheng's enthusiasm and carefully chosen metaphors and analogies carry us effortlessly through the mathematical landscape -- Ian StewartClear, clever and friendly -- Alex Bellos

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Book SynopsisThis book identifies eight key mechanisms that can transform a set of ideas into a psychological flytrap. The author suggests that, like the black holes of outer space, from which nothing, not even light, can escape, our contemporary cultural landscape contains numerous intellectual black-holes-belief systems constructed in such a way that unwary passers-by can similarly find themselves drawn in. While such self-sealing bubbles of belief will most easily trap the gullible or poorly educated, even the most intelligent and educated of us are potentially vulnerable. Some of the world's greatest thinkers have fallen in, never to escape. This witty, insightful critique will help immunize readers against the wiles of cultists, religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, promoters of flaky alternative medicines, and others by clearly setting out the tricks of the trade by which such insidious belief systems are created and maintained.Trade Review""Offers flashes of wit and insight.” —Times Higher Education “I would like to see this book read by college freshmen, and certainly anybody running for public office. The witty, insightful, and often amusing arguments might help to immunize readers against religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, and new agers by understanding their stocks in trade….” —San Francisco Book Review “

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Book SynopsisUnderstand Logic is a comprehensive introduction to this fascinating though sometimes challenging subject. As well as looking at logic in theoretical terms the book considers its everyday uses and demonstrates how it has genuine practical applications. It will take you step by step through the most difficult concepts and is packed with exercises to help you consolidate your learning at every stage. Covering everything from syllogistic logic to logical paradoxes and even looking at logic in Alice in Wonderland, this is the only guide you will ever need.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1919, Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy shows Russell drawing on his formidable knowledge of philosophy and mathematics to write a brilliant introduction to the subject. This Routledge Classics edition includes a new Foreword by Michael Potter.Table of ContentsForeword to the Routledge Classics Edition Michael Potter Preface 1. The Series of Natural Numbers 2. Definition of Number 3. Finitude and Mathematical Induction 4. The Definition of Order 5. Kinds of Relations 6. Similarity of Relations 7. Rational, Real, and Complex Numbers 8. Infinite Cardinal Numbers 9. Infinite Series and Ordinals 10. Limits and Continuity 11. Limits and Continuity of Functions 12. Selections and the Multiplicative Axiom 13. The Axiom of Infinity and Logical Types 14. Incompatibility and the Theory of Deduction 15. Propositional Functions 16. Descriptions 17. Classes 18. Mathematics and Logic. Index

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This is the first comprehensive textbook on higher-order logic that is written specifically to introduce the subject matter to graduate students in philosophy. The book covers both the formal aspects of higher-order languagestheir model theory and proof theory, the theory of ?-abstraction and its generalizationsand their philosophical applications, especially to the topics of modality and propositional granularity. The book has a strong focus on non-extensional higher-order logics, making it more appropriate for foundational metaphysics than other introductions to the subject from computer science, mathematics, and linguistics. A Philosophical Introduction to Higher-order Logics assumes only that readers have a basic knowledge of first-order logic. With an emphasis on exercises, it can be used as a textbook though is also ideal for self-study.Author Andrew Bacon organizes the book''s 18 chapters around four main parts:I. Typed LanguageII. Higher-Order La

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents a new translation of Aristotle''s Topics Book VI by Annamaria Schiaparelli, accompanied by a detailed commentary and textual notes providing insight into the history of the transmission of the text with its variants. In the Topics, Aristotle aims at developing his dialectical method. He introduces the four predicables (property, genus, accident, and definition) which are necessary for the classification and application of the topoi, or commonplaces. Book VI of the Topics is entirely devoted to the discussion of definition, the most extended and refined discussion of this subject handed down to us from the classical period. The concept of definition plays a central role not only in Aristotle''s logic but also in his ontology. Issues connected with definitions emerge constantly throughout his works. Moreover, definitions are at the centre of Platonic philosophy and sparked a lively discussion in philosophy of the Hellenistic and late classical periods.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION I: The Place of the Topics in Aristotle's Corpus II: The Contents of the Topics III: The Four Predicables IV: The Classifications of the Predicables V: The Logical Relations among the Predicables VI: The Predicable Definition VII: Types of Definition and their Rules VIII: The Notion of Causality in the Topics IX: Some Prominent Themes concerning Standard Definitions X: Structure and Interpretations of Book VI of the Topics TRANSLATION COMMENTARY Notes on the Text Appendix: The Predicables Logical Relations Select Bibliography Glossary: English-Greek / Greek-English Indexes

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Book SynopsisIn this enlightening and entertaining book, author and Skeptical Inquirer editor Kendrick Frazier takes readers on a journey to the contentious boundary zone between science and its antagonists: pseudoscience (pretend science) and anti-science (open hostility to science). Pseudoscience romps in the shadows of science but takes on the guise of science to excite, sell, mislead, and deceive the public. Anti-science denigrates, even denies, findings of science for ideological ends. In this dangerous age of misinformation (and dis-information), we need science’s remarkable truth-seeking tools more than ever to help counter society’s crazier impulses in which opinion, beliefs, and lies trump facts, evidence, and truth.In one sense, Shadows of Science is Frazier’s love letter to science, one of humanity’s greatest inventions, one we should exalt for its unique ability to find provisional truths about nature. In congenial prose he reports on recent discoveries and describes how science works and how its error-correcting mechanisms lead eventually to new knowledge. He tells the stories of some of our champions of science and reason. He describes the little-appreciated values of science, how it embraces uncertainty and humility, and its emphasis on fact-based observation and experiment. Pseudoscience adopts some of science’s language and has a beguiling appeal, but there the similarities end. Frazier has professionally reported on frontier scientific discoveries and observed and exposed the pretensions and dangers of pseudoscience and anti-science his entire career. Here he shares his experiences, his knowledge and insights, and his love and passion for our ability to learn what’s real about the natural world—and to identify and expose fake science, pretend science, and anti-science in all their multifarious forms.

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Book SynopsisWestern civilization is over. So begins Jan Zwicky’s trenchant exploration of the roots of global cultural and ecological collapse. Once Upon a Time in the West documents how a narrow epistemological style has left us blind to critical features of reality, and how the terrifying consequences of that shuttered vision are now unfolding.Trade Review“Zwicky's distinctive voice – warm, wise, sometimes colloquial or cutting – brings together these essays on diverse topics. Her sensibility is of course poetic, but also critical in the best sense: rigorous, probing, and committed. This is an engaging and enlightening portrait of a fine thinker in action.” Mark Kingwell, University of Toronto and author of Singular Creatures: Robots, Rights, and the Politics of Posthumanism“Lyric philosophy of the highest calibre. Jan Zwicky addresses the dilemmas we as a species are faced with today with great lucidity, seamlessly weaving together a wide variety of themes from philosophy, poetry, and ecology. Anyone interested in understanding the more-than-human world and our place in it is bound to find food for thought in these beautifully written and provoking philosophical essays.” Leonor María Martínez Serrano, University of Córdoba and author of Breathing Earth: The Polyphonic Lyric of Robert Bringhurst

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Book SynopsisThis lively and accessible textbook provides a comprehensive and unified introduction to classical and modal logics, treating them with the same level of rigour and detail and showing how they fit together. A fully self-contained learning resource, it will be ideal for upper-level university courses.

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