What is the best book on Logic Objectivists?

[Jacob Western]

Hi here are a few of my considerations as this is my first book to read on the subject.

Socratic Logic by Peter Kreeft

The Art of Reasoning: An Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking by David Kelley (I think he's an Objectivist) Confirmation Bias but looks like a great introduction.

What do you guys think? You all seem to be very good at critical thinking from analysing your posts.

Thanks

Jacob

[Francisco Ferrer]

An excellent, freshman-level introduction to the subject is Ruby and Yarber's The Art of Making Sense (which I acquired 40 years ago from an Objectivist who was selling off his large library in order to become a mercenary).

[BaalChatzaf]

Almost all of the college level text books follow a similar pattern

Informal fallacies, the difference between inductive inference and deductive inference. Formal fallacies in argumentation A section on categorical logic (Aristotle's logic). A section on modern and symbolic logic. This will included propositional calculus and truth tables, then on to quantified statements. Many of the books have a chapter or two on various kinds of definitions.

The structures of the books are very similar because they are all based on the historical development of logic from the time of Aristotle to the present day.

Amazon.Com has a comprehensive list. Just look up "logic" under "books"

The well known authors are Irving Copi (his books have gone through 16 editions) and of course Kelley which is a comparable book. It covers the same ground as does Copi although one of the editions has an appendix on term logic.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Francisco Ferrer]

Copi was my college text, and there is probably not a better one.

[Jacob Western]

Thanks I think I will read first The Art of Making Sense, then Copis opposed to Kelleys or Rubys Introduction to Logic.

[Reidy]

For advanced study, NBI Book Service used to recommend H.W.B. Joseph's Introduction to Logic.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I want to recommend The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker.

Although this deals more with writing nonfiction in general than formal logic, it often deals with logic through what I consider an Objectivist lens (although Pinker would probably die before he admitted something like that).

Just the titles of a few of his sections show the tie-in:

"The Curse of Knowledge"

"Arcs of Coherence"

"Telling Right from Wrong"

Traditional logic as it has evolved is similar to a board game where reality is not essential, but the rules are. The Randian approach to logic ties the rules of logic to reality at the root.

Pinker's focus is on what is being said and how that is organized in a valid form for communication and use rather than on the rules of the game qua rules. That approach--concepts (i.e., meaning) taking precedence over labels and rules of expression--is quite Randian whether one wants to call it that or not.

Michael

[Reidy]

Weekly Standard reviewed the Pinker book last fall.

[BaalChatzaf]

Weekly Standard reviewed the Pinker book last fall.

witty review

[Jacob Western]

Thanks Michael. That seems like a very interesting persepctive youv'e presented. Guess i'll take a look at that one too.