An Introduction to Formal Logic

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 highly accessible book, 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 then develops formal systems for evaluating arguments translated into these languages, concentrating on the easily comprehensible 'tree' method. His discussion is richly illustrated with worked examples and exercises. A distinctive feature is that, 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.

ISBN 0521008042   Pages 366 ISBN13 9780521008044 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Cambridge University Press   Weight (grammes) 728 Imprint Cambridge University Press   Published in Cambridge Format Paperback   Previous ISBN 9780521810333 Publication date 06 Nov 2003   Height (mm) 247 Library of Congress BC71 \.S62   Width (mm) 174 DEWEY 160   Spine width (mm) 23 DEWEY edition DC21   Academic level Tertiary education, Professional / Scholarly

		Preface
1		What is logic?		1
2		Validity and soundness		9
3		Patterns of inference		18
4		The counterexample technique		29
5		Proofs		36
6		Validity and arguments		44
		Interlude: Logic, formal and informal		51
7		Three propositional connectives		53
8		The syntax of PL		63
9		The semantics of PL		72
10		'A's and 'B's, 'P's and 'Q's		82
11		Truth functions		88
12		Tautologies		101
13		Tautological entailment		107
		Interlude: Propositional logic		123
14		PLC and the material conditional		125
15		More on the material conditional		137
16		Introducing PL trees		145
17		Rules for PL trees		157
18		PLC trees		171
19		PL trees vindicated		179
20		Trees and proofs		185
		Interlude: After propositional logic		192
21		Quantifiers		194
22		QL introduced		202
23		QL explored		210
24		More QL translations		219
25		Introducing QL trees		228
		More...

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