Logic and its limits
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Logic and its limits
(OPUS)
Oxford University Press, 1997
2nd ed.
- pbk.
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Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
First published 1981.
Description and Table of Contents
Description
`This book grew out of the conviction, not in itself strange or startling, that the ordinary person can and should think straight rather than crooked.'
Patrick Shaw has written a commonsense introduction to the use of logic in everyday thought and argument. It explains some of the rules of good argument and some of the ways in which arguments can fail, drawing illustrations from a variety of contemporary and international sources, such as the press, radio, and television. Symbols and technicalities are kept to a minimum in this thorough and provocative investigation of the rational approach to thought - and its limitations. Logic and Its
Limits emphasizes the use of logic in helping to settle and clarify disputes. It will help the reader to avoid bad arguments, to detect them in others, and so to think and argue more effectively. A wide range of thought-provoking examples and exercises concerned with contemporary social and political
issues make this a readable and stimulating guide for the student and general reader alike.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. Arguments
- 2. Proofs
- 3. Validity: 'if ... then'
- 4. Validity: disjunctions and dilemmas
- 5. Getting the premises right
- 6. Sticking to the point
- 7. Meaning and definition
- 8. Divisions and distinctions
- 9. Analogies
- 10. 'All' and 'some'
- 11. Arguments with 'all' and 'some
- 12. Groups and individuals
- 13. Probability, evidence and causes
- 14. Probability: statistics
- 15. Indirect proofs
- 16. Authority and repute
- 17. Practical reasoning
- 18. Being rational: final remarks
- Answers to exercises
- Further reading
- Bibliography
- Index
by "Nielsen BookData"