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Logic Primer
The new edition of a comprehensive and rigorous but concise introduction to symbolic logic.
Logic Primer offers a comprehensive and rigorous introduction to symbolic logic, providing concise definitions of key concepts, illustrative examples, and exercises. After presenting the definitions of validity and soundness, the book goes on to introduce a formal language, proof theory, and formal semantics for sentential logic (chapters 1-3) and for first-order predicate logic (chapters 4-6) with identity (chapter 7). For this third edition, the material has been reorganized from four chapters into seven, increasing the modularity of the text and enabling teachers to choose alternative paths through the book. New exercises have been added, and all exercises are now arranged to support students moving from easier to harder problems.
Its spare and elegant treatment makes Logic Primer unique among textbooks. It presents the material with minimal chattiness, allowing students to proceed more directly from topic to topic and leaving instructors free to cover the subject matter in the way that best suits their students. The book includes more than thirty exercise sets, with answers to many of them provided in an appendix. The book's website allows students to enter and check proofs, truth tables, and other exercises interactively.
Logic Primer offers a comprehensive and rigorous introduction to symbolic logic, providing concise definitions of key concepts, illustrative examples, and exercises. After presenting the definitions of validity and soundness, the book goes on to introduce a formal language, proof theory, and formal semantics for sentential logic (chapters 1-3) and for first-order predicate logic (chapters 4-6) with identity (chapter 7). For this third edition, the material has been reorganized from four chapters into seven, increasing the modularity of the text and enabling teachers to choose alternative paths through the book. New exercises have been added, and all exercises are now arranged to support students moving from easier to harder problems.
Its spare and elegant treatment makes Logic Primer unique among textbooks. It presents the material with minimal chattiness, allowing students to proceed more directly from topic to topic and leaving instructors free to cover the subject matter in the way that best suits their students. The book includes more than thirty exercise sets, with answers to many of them provided in an appendix. The book's website allows students to enter and check proofs, truth tables, and other exercises interactively.
174 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 19, 2022
کتابهای مقدماتیای که در انگلیسی برای آموزش منطق (گزاره و محمولات) نوشته میشود عموما بسیار مفصل اند. مثلا اینکه چنین کتابهایی پانصد صفحه باشند، اصلا عجیب نیست. این کتاب (که اکنون ویراست سوم آن بیرون آمده اما من ویراست دوم آن را خواندم) کتابی است مختصر (اصل آن حدود صد صفحه است) که طوری نوشته شده که خودآموز نباشد بلکه با استاد خوانده شود لذا طول و تفصل ندارد و کدوار بیان کرده است.
May 3, 2020
This book is good enough to get familiar with the basics of formal logic. Not enough good to fall in love with it. It's true that it has lots of exercises and the keys are helpful, however sometimes it takes googling to understand the material because it's intended to be used only as a suplement to an instructor led course.
My only takeaway from the book is the formal language of sentential propositions.
I don't think I will be able to make use of it in real life.
As for the rules of proof and truth tables, I couldn't find enough motivation and reason to spend a few weeks to learn this just to forget about it in the next few weeks.
My only takeaway from the book is the formal language of sentential propositions.
I don't think I will be able to make use of it in real life.
As for the rules of proof and truth tables, I couldn't find enough motivation and reason to spend a few weeks to learn this just to forget about it in the next few weeks.
February 8, 2022
Used for an introductory philosophy course. The practice sections were very useful but I found this type of philosophical understanding difficult to comprehend.
January 27, 2025
A great introduction to logic through a "do, don't tell" approach.
February 9, 2025
I always aim to order a text that provides a ‘straight’ version of introductory logic, even as I push against it and riff off of it. At first glance, this text seemed promising for that purpose. It’s extremely short and explicitly designed to be supplemented by conversation.
I don’t even mind the constant reassurances that each step is easy—no problem, no remainder, nothing thought-provoking. I can simply poke fun at these moments and introduce the problems myself.
But at this point, I don’t see how to use this as a primary text in a first logic course, or even as a reference tool, without introducing unnecessary confusion—confusion that we would then have to waste time dispelling. I don’t want to spend valuable in-person time compensating for what’s needlessly awkward—often, it seems, because the drive for concision is either pushed one step too far or applied inconsistently.
Of course, there is no single ideal formal system for an introduction to logic, not even a single ideal system of natural deduction—just as there is no single ideal programming language.
And to be fair, the design innovations here are interesting, in retrospect—for someone who already understands not just the logical technique but also some of the philosophical issues driving these choices. It would be valuable to take a natural system of natural deduction and show, in a second step on the way to a third, that these modifications can be made. But doing so presupposes both a technical grounding and a motivation—neither of which this text is likely to help students acquire. The latter (motivation) can be supplemented with commentary and resistance. The former (technical grounding) is harder to make up for without - another straight text to come to the rescue of this one.
My view is extremely revisable.
I don’t even mind the constant reassurances that each step is easy—no problem, no remainder, nothing thought-provoking. I can simply poke fun at these moments and introduce the problems myself.
But at this point, I don’t see how to use this as a primary text in a first logic course, or even as a reference tool, without introducing unnecessary confusion—confusion that we would then have to waste time dispelling. I don’t want to spend valuable in-person time compensating for what’s needlessly awkward—often, it seems, because the drive for concision is either pushed one step too far or applied inconsistently.
Of course, there is no single ideal formal system for an introduction to logic, not even a single ideal system of natural deduction—just as there is no single ideal programming language.
And to be fair, the design innovations here are interesting, in retrospect—for someone who already understands not just the logical technique but also some of the philosophical issues driving these choices. It would be valuable to take a natural system of natural deduction and show, in a second step on the way to a third, that these modifications can be made. But doing so presupposes both a technical grounding and a motivation—neither of which this text is likely to help students acquire. The latter (motivation) can be supplemented with commentary and resistance. The former (technical grounding) is harder to make up for without - another straight text to come to the rescue of this one.
My view is extremely revisable.
February 4, 2008
Extremely great fun
February 13, 2008
Short book covering logic essentials and has many problems to solve.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews