Modern Logic: A Text in Elementary Symbolic Logic

by Graeme Forbes

Book Overview

Filling the need for an accessible, carefully structured introductory text in symbolic logic, Modern Logic has many features designed to improve students' comprehension of the subject, including a proof system that is the same as the award-winning computer program MacLogic, and a special appendix that shows how to use MacLogic as a teaching aid. There are graded exercises at the end of each chapter--more than 900 in all--with selected answers at the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195080297
• ISBN13: 9780195080292
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Forbes' Modern Logic is Excellent!

I used this book in my logic course. I thought the book was perfectly straight-forward, and had more than enough problems to rapidly learn the material.

Modern Logic: A Text in Elementary Symbolic Logic

This book is meant for an upper-level (preferably senior) undergraduate introduction to Symbolic Logic class. It is not meant as an introduction to logic class and those that do not have the sufficient background in logic should not be introduced to this text. If so, the student will be utterly disappointed. It is a difficult text to master given the extended detail that the author goes into higher-order logic. The modus ponens, modus tollens, and other should be introduced in a sophomore or junior level class alongside fallacies, truth tables etc. This books basically starts off at truth tables and translations and goes from there. That is why it is important for the student to take an introduction to logic class (freshman level), a modern logic class (sophomore/junior level), or the introduction to logic class and discrete mathematics or any other mathematics class that introduces the student to symbolic logic keeping in mind that the terminology may be somewhat different. The student that has taken all these classes plus a set theory class will have no difficulty with Forbes' Modern Logic textbook.

Excellent first, or last, logic text.

(Review of Graeme Forbes, Modern Logic: A text in Elementary Symbolic Logic.) Prof. Forbes Modern Logic is a compact, lucid, and rewarding introduction to deductive logic . The treatment is mainly formal, but enough intuitive and philosophic explanation is given to reveal the motivation for the symbolic machinery. The use of interpretations for testing validity is helpful in relating logic to the worlds to which it could refer. Basic classical logic is thoroughly covered in chapters on sentential, monadic predicate, and full first order logic. The rules presented for introduction and elimination of logical constants are clearly justified; the proof strategies are varied and relevant to the notion of logical consequence being developed. The concluding chapters on modal, intuitionistic, and fuzzy logic, while brief, provide substantial exposure to these systems. Throughout the book, interesting material comparing various types of logic is to be found. Altogether, definitely worth the effort.