Rational Episodes

Logic for the Intermittently Reasonable

Keith M. Parsons

• Publisher: Prometheus
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN:
  9781615928842
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Logic in Philosophy

Logic is the skill that enables humans to think clearly, accurately, and rigorously and so to draw only the inferences that the evidence warrants. Some people, like scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and computer programmers, get plenty of on-the-job practice in thinking logically. The rest of us generally don't. In this accessible, concise yet comprehensive introduction to a sometimes-formidable subject, philosopher Keith Parsons presents elementary topics in logic for people who have little background in mathematics or science and have no career goals in those fields. Parsons presupposes no specialized background and strives to introduce even abstract concepts in an intuitive and unintimidating way. His informal, conversational style leads the reader painlessly, even entertainingly, through three essential areas of logic. The first part of the book deals with sentential and predicate logic, as well as inductive and scientific reasoning, including inference to the best explanation. The second part explains basic probability, Bayes' Theorem, and why thinking about probability is so prone to error and illusion. The third part considers informal reasoning and critical thinking, including such topics as rhetoric, fallacies, political spin, and the detection of pseudoscience and pseudohistory. Why be logical? Even if you're a poet, an artist, or just a free spirit, logic can help you determine the facts behind the political propaganda, religious claims, advertising, and sales talk that we are all subjected to. As a logically literate person, you will be a better-informed citizen, wiser consumer, and a clearer thinker.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• CONTENTS
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• PREFACE FOR INSTRUCTORS
• PREFACE FOR STUDENTS (You Really Should Read It)
• CHAPTER ONE: What Is Logic?
• CHAPTER TWO: Sentential Logic Basics
• CHAPTER THREE: Sentential Logic Proofs
• CHAPTER FOUR: More Sentential Logic: Contradictions, Tautologies, and Assumptions
• CHAPTER FIVE: Predicate Logic Basics
• CHAPTER SIX: Proofs in Predicate Logic
• CHAPTER SEVEN: Probability: The Basic Rules of Life
• CHAPTER EIGHT: The Theorem of Dr. Bayes
• CHAPTER NINE: Probability Illusions: Why We Are So Bad at Inductive Reasoning
• CHAPTER TEN: “Studies Have Shown”…Or Have They?
• CHAPTER ELEVEN: Inference to the Best Explanation
• CHAPTER TWELVE: Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasion
• CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Won't Get Fooled Again (Fallacies and Other Foibles)
• CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Spin, Spin, Spin (Or How Not to Be a Sucker)
• CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Everything You Know Is Wrong! Pseudoscience and Bogus Scholarship
• GLOSSARY
• INDEX