Logic and Reasoning
- Page ID
- 355296
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Logic and reasoning are foundational tools in philosophy, providing the methods by which arguments are analyzed, evaluated, and constructed. Textbooks in this area introduce readers to the principles of valid inference, the structure of arguments, and the techniques for distinguishing sound reasoning from fallacies. They cover both formal logic—symbolic systems that represent the underlying patterns of arguments—and informal reasoning, which emphasizes everyday critical thinking and practical argument analysis.
- A Concise Introduction to Logic (DeLancey)
- This text is an introduction to formal logic suitable for undergraduates taking a general education course in logic or critical thinking, and is accessible and useful to any interested in gaining a basic understanding of logic. This text takes the unique approach of teaching logic through intellectual history; the author uses examples from important and celebrated arguments in philosophy to illustrate logical principles. The text also includes a basic introduction to findings of advanced logic.
- A Dam Good Argument (Delf, Drummond, and Kelly Eds.)
- Learning about how persuasion works will make you a more thoughtful and skeptical consumer of all that content, so that you can come to your own conclusions and recognize the underlying assumptions that inform attempts to persuade you. This book is about analyzing others' arguments and crafting your own. The rhetorical choices that you make as a writer–from evidence to structure to tone–impact how your audience will receive your ideas. Using those tools effectively will help your voice be heard.
- A Guide to Good Reasoning: Cultivating Intellectual Virtues (Wilson)
- A Guide to Good Reasoning shows with both wit and philosophical care how students can become good at everyday reasoning. It starts with attitude—with alertness to judgmental heuristics and with the cultivation of intellectual virtues and develops a system for skillfully clarifying and evaluating arguments, according to four standards—whether the premises fit the world, whether the conclusion fits the premises, whether the argument fits the conversation, and whether it is possible to tell.
- A Miniguide to Critical Thinking (Lau)
- This miniguide introduces some of the basic concepts and principles of critical thinking.
- A Modern Formal Logic Primer (Teller)
- This text is a primer that presents the basic elements of logic.
- An Introduction to Formal Logic (Magnus)
- This books treats symbolization, formal semantics, and proof theory for each language. The discussion of formal semantics is more direct than in many introductory texts. The book is designed to provide a semester's worth of material for an introductory college course. It would be possible to use the book only for sentential logic, by skipping chapters 4-5 and parts of chapter 6.
- Critical Reasoning: A User's Manual (Southworth and Swoyer)
- Teaching critical reasoning is difficult. So is learning to reason more carefully and accurately. The greatest challenge is teaching (and learning) skills in such a way that students can spontaneously apply them outside the classroom once the course is over (teaching people to apply skills in the classroom can be hard enough, but clearly isn’t a worthwhile goal in itself).
- Front Matter
- 1: Basic Concepts of Critical Thinking
- 2: Arguments
- 3: Conditionals and Conditional Arguments
- 4: Perception- Expectation and Inference
- 5: Evaluating Sources of Information
- 6: The Internet - Finding and Evaluating Information Online
- 7: Memory and Reasoning
- 8: Memory II- Pitfalls and Remedies
- 9: Emotions and Reasoning
- 10: Relevance, Irrelevance, and Fallacies
- 11: Fallacies- Common Ways of Reasoning Badly
- 12: Induction in the Real World
- 13: Rules for Calculating Probabilities
- 14: Conditional Probabilities
- 15: Samples and Correlations
- 16: Applications and Pitfalls
- 17: Heuristics and Biases
- 18: More Biases, Pitfalls, and Traps
- 19: Cognitive Dissonance- Psychological Inconsistency
- 20: Critical Reasoning and the Scientific Method
- 21: Risk
- 22: Social Influences on Thinking
- 23: The Power of the Situation
- 24: Reasoning in Groups
- 25: Stereotypes and Prejudices
- 26: Social Dilemmas
- 27: Diagrammatic Reasoning- Using Pictures to Think
- 28: Recognizing Where Cognitive Tools Apply- Cues, Transfer, and Habits
- 29: Application to Metaphysics
- 30: Application to Epistemology
- 31: Application to Ethics
- 32: Formal Logic, Symbolization and Negation Manipulation
- 33: Truth Tables
- 34: Appendix
- Back Matter
- Fundamental Methods of Logic (Knachel)
- Fundamental Methods of Logic is suitable for a one-semester introduction to logic/critical reasoning course. It covers a variety of topics at an introductory level. Chapter One introduces basic notions, such as arguments and explanations, validity and soundness, deductive and inductive reasoning; it also covers basic analytical techniques, such as distinguishing premises from conclusions and diagramming arguments.
- How to be a Reasonable Person: A Short Introduction to Thinking Critically (Payne)
- Critical Thinking is widely claimed as an “infused” general education outcome. This brief primer is the resource I use to infuse critical thinking into my philosophy classes. I teach philosophy as a vehicle for instilling good critical thinking skills. This involves some dedicated instruction, generally a week and a half or so at the outset of every course. This is then followed by philosophy curriculum that is designed to cultivate and reinforce the critical thinking skills I start with.
- Decoding Deception (Daly and Jarrette)
- Decoding Deception by Diana Daly and Kainan Jarrette is a dynamic multimedia OER that turns adults and college and high school students into expert lie detectors. This interactive guide blends humor, games, and activities with cognitive science and media literacy to reveal how biases, fallacies, and AI-fueled content can mislead us. Readers learn practical strategies for questioning sources, evaluating claims, and cutting through the noise of our post-truth era.
- Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking 2e (van Cleave)
- This is an introductory textbook in logic and critical thinking. The goal of the textbook is to provide the reader with a set of tools and skills that will enable them to identify and evaluate arguments. The book is intended for an introductory course that covers both formal and informal logic. As such, it is not a formal logic textbook, but is closer to what one would find marketed as a“critical thinking textbook.”
- Introduction to Philosophy: Logic (Assadian et al.)
- Introduction to Philosophy: Logic provides students with the concepts and skills necessary to identify and evaluate arguments effectively. The chapters, all written by experts in the field, provide an overview of what arguments are, the different types of arguments one can expect to encounter in both philosophy and everyday life, and how to recognise common argumentative mistakes.
- Logical Reasoning (Dowden)
- The goal of this book is to improve your logical-reasoning skills also called "critical thinking skills." They are a complex weave of abilities that help you get someone's point, generate reasons for your own point, evaluate the reasons given by others, decide what or what not to do, decide what information to accept or reject, explain a complicated idea, apply conscious quality control as you think, and resist propaganda.
- Front Matter
- 1: How to Reason Logically
- 2: Claims, Issues, and Arguments
- 3: Writing with the Appropriate Precision
- 4: How to Evaluate Information and Judge Credibility
- 5: Obstacles to Better Communication
- 6: Writing to Convince Others
- 7: Defending Against Deception
- 8: Detecting Fallacies
- 9: Consistency and Inconsistency
- 10: Deductive Reasoning
- 11: Logical Form and Sentential Logic
- 12: Aristotelian Logic and Venn-Euler Diagrams
- 13: Inductive Reasoning
- 14: Reasoning about Causes and Their Effects
- 15: Scientific Reasoning
- Back Matter
- Sets, Logic, Computation (Zach)
- Sets, Logic, Computation is an introductory textbook on metalogic. It covers naive set theory, first-order logic, sequent calculus and natural deduction, the completeness, compactness, and Löwenheim-Skolem theorems, Turing machines, and the undecidability of the halting problem and of first-order logic. The audience is undergraduate students with some background in formal logic.
- The (In)Credible Argument (Kepka)
- In academics, we set aside time and space to learn about and practice argument because we value the ability of a writer, reader, and thinker to ethically prove their point. Whether it is piping up with an opinion during class discussion or writing a heart-felt personal essay about the reasons for attending school, argument motivates much of the work you’ll do in college. It is also behind nearly every piece of media — written, spoken, musical, video, or other.
- Thinking Well - A Logic And Critical Thinking Textbook 4e (Lavin)
- The common title of this course is “Logic and Critical Thinking.” So, we can think about the course as having two main components: the study of formal logic and the study of the tools and strategies of critical thinking. This text is structured in a bit of a “sandwich”. Units on critical thinking and then formal logic, and then units on more critical thinking topics.
- Front Matter
- 1: Basic Concepts
- 2: Language, Meaning, and Definition
- 3: Argument Mapping
- 4: Intellectual Virtues and Vices
- 5: What is Logic?
- 6: Categorical Logic
- 7: Propositional Logic
- 8: Natural Deduction
- 9: Inductive Reasoning - hypothetical, causal, statistical, and others
- 10: Ethical Reasoning and Evaluation
- 11: Mental Heuristics and Biases
- 12: Identifying Good Sources of Information
- 13: Conclusion - Intellectual Honesty, Intellectual Humility, and Charity
- Back Matter