Modern Logic an Introduction

By Norman L. Thomas and Thomas Nl

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006460103X
• ISBN13: 9780064601030
• Release Date: June 1966
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Broad Scope, Truly Explanatory

This book describes itself as "a first course in Modern or Symbolic Logic". However, it is so much more. Norman L. Thomas is an inspired writer, who weaves together formal logic, traditional logic, set theory, arithmetic, propositional calculus, class calculus, probability and a great deal more in a truly illuminating way. He has a lively feel for the concepts, and is able to impart this to the reader. I have read several books on modern logic. While some would match this book on the level of formal logic, and perhaps surpass it, none would come close for Thomas' lucid explanation of the entire scope of logic, past and present. This is a grand synthesis that truly works. It further seeks to show how pure logic would find application in the real world -- and the discussion of the disjoint between theory and "the facts we know and work with" is in itself worth reading. Of course, with a mere 236 pages, this book has to be a mere introduction. Also, having been written in 1966, it is inevitably somewhat dated. However, the material that is included (which includes many logic exercises) does form the basis of true understanding. It is not an easy book by any means, but it is truly explanatory. There are only four kinds of book on logic: inscrutable ones, mediocre ones, and ones like this.