Logic: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Logic: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)


Yazar Graham Priest
Yayınevi OUP Oxford
ISBN 9780192893208
Baskı yılı 2000
Sayfa sayısı 160
Ağırlık 0.14 kg
Stok durumu Tükendi   

Logic is often perceived as having little to do with the rest of philosophy, and even less to do with real life. In this lively and accessible introduction, Graham Priest shows how wrong this conception is. He explores the philosophical roots of the subject, explaining how modern formal logic deals with issues ranging from the existence of God and the reality of time to paradoxes of probability and decision theory. Along the way, the basics of formal logic are explained in simple, non-technical terms, showing that logic is a powerful and exciting part of modern philosophy. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Preface
List of Illustrations
1 Validity: What Follows from What? 1
2 Truth Functions - Or Not? 7
3 Names and Quantifiers: Is Nothing Something? 17
4 Descriptions and Existence: Did the Greeks Worship Zeus? 24
5 Self-Reference: What is this Chapter About? 31
6 Necessity and Possibility: What Will be Must be? 38
7 Conditionals: Whats in an If? 47
8 The Future and the Past: Is Time Real? 55
9 Identity and Change: Is Anything Ever the Same? 63
10 Vagueness: How do you Stop Sliding down a Slippery Slope? 70
11 Probability: The Strange Case of the Missing Reference Class 78
12 Inverse Probability: You Cant be Indifferent About it! 86
13 Decision Theory: Great Expectations 94
14 A Little History and Some Further Reading 102
Glossary 111
Problems 117
Bibliography 121
General Index 123
Index of Names 127