Logic for Dummies

by Mark Zegarelli

A straightforward guide to logic concepts

Logic concepts are more mainstream than you may realize. There's logic every place you look and in almost everything you do, from deciding which shirt to buy to asking your boss for a raise, and even to watching television, where themes of such shows as CSI and Numbers incorporate a variety of logistical studies. Logic For Dummies explains a vast array of logical concepts...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471799416
• ISBN13: 9780471799412
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: For Dummies
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Easy to understand logic!

This book makes it easy to understant logic. It is a very nice way to learn. Starts simple, but in a few chapters you will find yourself thinking in a different language! Very good book.

Good for leisure reading

This is a nice book for newcomers to logic. It reads easily. Unfortunately there are a dozen or so mistakes that may make the first time logic student confused and frustrated.

Well worth it.

This book is a great introduction to Logic for anyone who has ever been intimidated by Math or by those Logic books written without verbs and nouns. Explanations are in clear English. Anyone reading it should have a good handle on the subject matter when finished. For those interested in abstruse proofs, go get a Calculus book by Addison-Wesley.

Best intro to logic out there

I have schlepped through the Hodges and Tarski books to teach myself basic symbolic logic, as well as the Schaum's guide for practice problems. Why, I ask myself. Probably because I dropped college logic because I found it too confusing and the professor an obtuse windbag. Because of this act of cowardice, I have tried to make amends by learning on my own in my spare time. I also found that I enjoyed it, but it was slow-going. While far from perfect, this is the BEST way to learn solid fundamentals in logic, I only wish it were available years ago. I would have saved lots of time and frustration.

Logically good

If a book is informative and well-written, then it is a good book. In the world of logic, if the antecedent ("if a book is informative and well-written") is true, then the consequent ("then it is a good book") must also be true. Furthermore, for an "and" statement to be true, both of its components (informative, well-written) must individually be true. So, is Logic for Dummies by Mark Zegarelli a good book? It is informative. After a brief overview of logic (including its history), Zegarelli gets into the meat of logic, with a particular focus on sentential and quantifier logic. Of course, these terms mean little to the novice in logic, but he gives plenty of explanation as to what both are. Both are considered forms of classical logic and reduce statements to what are essentially formulas of letters and symbols. In a way, it's like mathematics in its approach to proofs. It's not always easy to breeze through, but with patience, it all adds up. Beyond classical logic, Zegarelli also gives the reader a brief introduction into other, sometimes more exotic, forms of logic. It is well-written. This means two things. First, Zegarelli is able to convey his information in an understandable fashion. That is not to say it is always easy to understand at first glance, but (as stated before), if you carefully follow his explanation, it makes sense. Second, it is readable. It is possible to be both informative and clear and still read dryly; Zegarelli writes with a light, occasionally humorous, tone that makes the reading much more enjoyable. So logically, this is a good book, as the "if" part is true. Is it a great book? Not quite, which is why I'm rating it four stars and not five. Despite its generally being informative and well-written, it lacks the quality of excellence. There are times when Zegarelli could illustrate his topics better, and there are some topics (such as paradoxes and logical fallacies) that he could delve into deeper. But even if not perfect, this serves as a good introduction to the subject (as "Dummies" books often do), so if you want to learn more about logic, this book is a good place to start.