Logic: A Contemporary Introduction

	Logic: A Contemporary Introduction
	Donald P. Goodman III

	Logic is beyond doubt among the most basic topics of
	intellectual inquiry. One of the trivium of liberal
	arts, which had to be studied before one reached the
	quadrivium (which itself had to be studied before one
	could proceed to the really serious topics, like
	philosophy), logic was once a bedrock subject, a necessary
	foundation before any intellectual path could be pursued. Now,
	sadly, it is neglected; indeed, almost completely
	ignored.

	This little book aims to provide just such an
	introduction: a foundational introduction, giving the
	necessary basics of logic without delving too deeply into
	the other, deeper subjects adjacent to it. It covers only
	the most superficial aspects of grammar and
	rhetoric (the other two subjects of the
	trivium), but goes through all the necessary topics
	of logical inquiry, allowing one to proceed to deeper
	subjects at will. Simple apprehension; judgment and types
	of propositions; deductive reasoning and the syllogism; and
	inductive reasoning, along with its most prominent types,
	are all reviewed in sufficient depth to permit real
	understanding and application, but without unnecessary
	forays into adjacent topics to avoid drowning the
	reader.

	Logic, in simple and approachable language, is the only
	thing this book attempts to provide.

	The digital version contains links and a full set of
	bookmarks for easy use; both it and the print edition have a
	full set of exercises regarding propositions and syllogisms,
	to help the student flex his muscles on some real issues.
	It also describes prominent fallacies and how to avoid them,
	from the more esoteric ones (like illicit process and
	undistributed middles) to the famous (like begging the
	question and argumentum ad hominem).

	A great introduction for those who were not given logic
	as a formal subject, but really would like to grasp the
	foundations of rational thought.

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