Overview
Robert Boyd's new text is useful for introductory courses in critical reasoning and logic. This text assumes that logic is practiced and best understood by students when they see practical applications of logic principles. Boyd's text integrates the rigor of the study of logic in a fresh, accessible style of writing to show students that logic is essential and less daunting than they might think. In addition to teaching students how to become better thinkers, the text also helps students become better writers.
Features of Critical Reasoning and Logic
- Exceedingly clear and accurate account of formal and informal logic
- Rigorous study of logic while remaining accessible to students
- Balanced between inductive and deductive reasoning problems
- Practical applications of logic principles throughout entire text
- Hundreds of engaging exercises
- Oriented towards helping students become better writers through student projects
- Places study of reasoning within context of larger concerns
Synopsis
Maintaining that the ultimate goal of critical reasoning is to make informed, educated decisions, this text presents a process that enables the reader to apply proper reasoning techniques in a practical fashion.
This book is balanced between three activities: identification of arguments, evaluation of arguments using inductive reasoning, and evaluation of arguments using deductive reasoning.
For computer scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, or anyone who is interested in using the practical applications of logic to evaluate their own writing and arguments as well as the writing and arguments of others.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"This is an excellent text. The writing is strong. In particular, the section on identifying arguments is well done. The writing applications give the students a strong sense of the practical applications of logical principles, something missing from many texts." — Michael Coste, Front Range Community College
"A comprehensive introduction to the basics of reasoning, with helpful summaries and exercises. Both student and instructor should find this a useful tool for enhancing reasoning skills." — Scott Shalkowski, University of Leeds
"Boyd has written a wide-ranging text that will be useful for almost any kind of introductory course in logic or critical reasoning. The author is to be commended for writing an accessible text that also has plenty of rigor....Boyd's book does an effective job in covering the topics most instructors will be looking for in a textbook of this sort, but it also stands out in terms of the real-life reasoning exercises it provides and the way it focuses on practical applications." — William Lawhead, University of Mississippi