Logic: The Essentials

by Patrick J. Hurley

THE ESSENTIALS concentrates on the fundaments of introductory logic. Practical in orientation and content, Essentials is loaded with class-tested, proven practice exercises. The book is tailored to address the needs of many of today's instructors who are challenged by time constraints but yet want to instill in their students a solid grasp of basic logical principles and the requisite skill to apply them in everyday life. This new text is based on the classic and bestselling textbook, A Concise Introduction to Logic, and nearly all of the exercises in the correlative chapters, so central to the effectiveness of that text, have been retained to ensure more than enough practice for students to master the central concepts. The text focuses largely on deductive logic, but it contains sufficient treatment of induction to provide a solid footing for informal fallacies. The result is a contemporary approach--more focused, more practical, less theoretical--built on a tradition of precise, elegant, and clear presentation of the subject matter of logic, both formal and informal.Important Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

456 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Patrick Hurley received his bachelor's degree in mathematics (with a second major in philosophy and a physics minor) from Gonzaga University in 1964 and his Ph.D. in philosophy of science with an emphasis in history of philosophy from Saint Louis University in 1973. In 1972, he began teaching at the University of San Diego, where his courses included logic, philosophy of science, metaphysics, process philosophy, and legal ethics. In 1987, he received his J.D. from the University of San Diego, and he is currently a member of the California Bar Association. He retired from teaching in 2008, but continues his research and writing, including work on A Concise Introduction to Logic. His interests include music, art, opera, environmental issues, fishing, and skiing. He is married to Dr. Linda Peterson, who retired from teaching philosophy at the University of San Diego in 2015.