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This course is an introduction to logic and its applications with the objective to develop students’ reasoning ability to analyze and evaluate arguments in science and other fields. It will provide students with a basic understanding of concepts such as definitions, arguments, validity, fallacies, deductive and inductive inferences etc. Classical logic and basic set theory will also be studied.
This is a textbook designed for classroom in which students have little knowledge of logic. There are 14 chapters divided into 3 parts, and the material in each chapter is arranged so that certain later sections can be skipped without affecting subsequent chapters. Part 1 introduces informal logic. Besides, the meaning and definition of language is presented, and informal fallacies are discussed. Part 2 introduces informal logic from the following perspectives: categorical propositions, categorical syllogisms, propositional logic, natural deduction in propositional logic, and predicate logic. Part 3 focus on inductive logic.
This 14th edition retains the essential structure and substance of previous editions. There are three parts altogether, covering basic concepts of logic, the difficulties encountered in everyday uses of language, the different functions of language, the nature and functions of definitions in ordinary discourse, and the many informal fallacies commonly encountered; the methods of deductive reasoning; the techniques of inductive logic. Before Part One appears a short history of logic. Brief biographies of a number of the great logicians have been included throughout the chapters. After Part Three, an appendix that describes the practical applications of logic to the taking of admissions tests.
This textbook can be used as a course text or a self-contained study guide. Lau emphasizes the equal importance of critical and creative thinking. This book starts from critical thinking, and come back to creativity near the end. Aside from theoretical knowledge required for good critical thinking, Lau also emphasizes the importance of attitudes and practice for good thinking. He summarizes a fourfold method path to good thinking and four positive attitudes conducive to good thinking. Findings in cognitive science and psychology, such as cognitive biases in reasoning and decision making, are discussed, and issues of decision making and moral reasoning are also included.
This textbook is written for not only classroom but also fully online student and the independent learner. There are 35 chapters divided into 6 units, discussing the fundamental concepts of logic, categorical logic, truth-functional logic, predicate logic, informal and inductive logic, and modal logic. An integrated history track runs from the beginning to the end of the book, and logical theory unfolds historically. There are also 4 appendices at the end of the book, and these nontechnical appendices mainly focus on logic and computing, as well as the applications of logic to real-world issues within the text. In addition, interspersed throughout the text are summaries of many classic philosophical arguments.
This is a textbook designed for the critical thinking course. This 11th edition illustrates core concepts with concrete real-world examples and extensive practice exercises. There are 12 chapters altogether, covering basic concepts of critical thinking; two kinds of reasoning, deduction and induction; vagueness and ambiguity, which eventually leads to clear thinking, critical thinking, and clear writing; the credibility of the claim and the sources; rhetoric, the art of persuasion; relevance (red herring) fallacies; induction fallacies; three formal fallacies and fallacies of language; deductive arguments from the perspective of categorical logic; deductive arguments from the perspective of truth-functional logic; inductive reasoning; moral, legal, and aesthetic reasoning.
本書采用對話體裁撰寫。選題的主要依據是：著重應用、著重純邏輯的訓練、介紹新的說法、修正傳統邏輯的錯誤、在必要時提出作者的貢獻。本書共分20個章次，“邏輯底用處”，“真假與對錯”，“推論是什麽”，“選取推論”，“條件推論”，“二難式”，“語句和類”，“位換和質換”，“對待關系”，“三段式”，“續三段式”，“變式”，“關系”，“關於思想三律”，“語意界說”，“分類與歸類”，“詭論”，“科學方法”，“種種謬誤”，“餘話”。
本書大致上分為四部分。導引篇是不同人士和中大學生組織對李天命的介紹和訪問。主題篇由李天命所寫，介紹思維方法與獨立思考，包括語理分析及語言與思想之關；另亦論及語害批判，並以楊東川、梁燕城、鄭志誠、林瑞琪反駁李天命的文章來作為批判示範。參考篇收錄了李天命對韓那那一場辯論的筆錄（由學園傳道會整理），以及隨之引起的論戰文章。附錄收錄了張敬真及陳強立對李天命思考方法的感言，附以李天命之詩篇。
