I want to learn about logic!

Factual Questions
1

I’m interested in logic. I don’t really know much about it, formally or otherwise. I’ve just read some things pertaining to logic (Russell, Godel, and other Philosophers) that seem really interesting.

Can someone recommend me some books (or any other type of media I guess) on it? I’m good at mathematics- I’d probably handle a technical book for beginners well. I tried reading Godel, Escher, Bach last year and liked it, but never finished. It’s an awfully dense book.

I’m especially interested in Mathematical Logic but not exclusively that. Anything outlining the branches of logic, history, etc. would be really great.

2

Splanky, I think you’ll have a better shot at getting some responses in the forum called “General Questions.”

The Cafe Society forum is really for art and entertainment, and while there is a certain amount of “art” to logic, I think you’ll find more mathematicians and logicians and what-not responding in GQ.

3

The basis of logic is deduction and induction. There might be more, I don’t know.

Induction is observing occurances and from those making a general rule. For example, you look at a triangle, measure it and see it has 180 degrees. You measure more and every one of them has 180 degrees. From this you induce that all triangles have 180 degrees.

Deduction is having a rule and applying that to individual cases. If for example you know that all triangles have 180 degrees. Then if you see a triangle, you don’t have to measure it.

I don’t know all that much about formal logic though and I don’t have any books to recommend.

Hope that helps.

4

Here is one of the standard texts on the subject of Symbolic Logic that has a warm place in hearts of many philosophy students:

Symbolic Logic by Irving M. Copi

Also, Howard Pospesel’s three books on Propositional Logic, Deductive Logic and Predicate Logic are generally regarded as excellent.

Howard Pospesel

5

Or is there a logic to art?

Whoa.

6

I have to wonder if you really want a logic textbook. If you want to learn it through and through, as if you were taking a college course, naturally that’s the place to start. However, if I were studying it on my own, doing it that way would bore me to tears.

Might I suggest, as an introduction, checking out some artificial intelligence books? For instance, Russell & Norvig’s AIMA book is a well-known, often used textbook. Any AI book you look at (since AIMA is kinda expensive) should cover the basics. You’ll miss the in-depth, nitty-gritty stuff, but it may be helpful to have it in a less dry context.

Just a thought.

7

You have to start at the beginning: Aristotle. I found this online source for a pretty good summary:

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.