Symbolic Logic: Syntax, Semantics, and Proof

by David Agler

Overview

Brimming with visual examples of concepts, derivation rules, and proof strategies, this introductory text is ideal for students with no previous experience in logic. Symbolic Logic: Syntax, Semantics, and Proof introduces students to the fundamental concepts, techniques, and topics involved in deductive reasoning. Agler guides students through the basics of symbolic logic by explaining the essentials of two classical systems, propositional and predicate logic. Students will learn translation both from formal language into English and from English into formal language; how to use truth trees and truth tables to test propositions for logical properties; and how to construct and strategically use derivation rules in proofs. This text makes this often confounding topic much more accessible with step-by-step example proofs, chapter glossaries of key terms, hundreds of homework problems and solutions for practice, and suggested further readings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442217430
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/16/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	375
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

David Agler is a lecturer in philosophy at the Pennsylvania State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Propositions, Arguments, and Logical Properties
Chapter 2 Language, Syntax, and Semantics
Chapter 3 Truth Tables
Chapter 4 Truth Trees
Chapter 5 Propositional Logic Derivations
Chapter 6 Predicate Language, Syntax, and Semantics
Chapter 7 Predicate Truth Trees
Chapter 8 Predicate Logic Derivations
Further Reading

Editorial Reviews

The author provides visually convincing examples that illustrate the concepts of symbolic logic effectively, a feature not commonly found in similar textbooks. The abundance of sample symbolizations and proofs in this book makes it ideal for classroom use.

Masato Ishida

Agler's Symbolic Logic: Syntax, Semantics, and Proof is a remarkably clear and systematic introduction to first-order formal logic. Notably, Agler does an excellent job in showing why we use these particular rules through multiple examples and step-by-step explanations of how they develop from general considerations of meaning and truth. This method of building up to the rules of symbolic logic will be incredibly helpful in improving student understanding, since it presents the formalism as something to be understood, rather than simply memorized.

Daniel Brunson

Agler's Symbolic Logic: Syntax, Semantics, and Proof is a remarkably clear and systematic introduction to first-order formal logic. Notably, Agler does an excellent job in showing why we use these particular rules through multiple examples and step-by-step explanations of how they develop from general considerations of meaning and truth. This method of building up to the rules of symbolic logic will be incredibly helpful in improving student understanding, since it presents the formalism as something to be understood, rather than simply memorized.


The author provides visually convincing examples that illustrate the concepts of symbolic logic effectively, a feature not commonly found in similar textbooks. The abundance of sample symbolizations and proofs in this book makes it ideal for classroom use.

From the Publisher