Logical Labyrinths

This book features a unique approach to the teaching of mathematical logic by putting it in the context of the puzzles and paradoxes of common language and rational thought. It serves as a bridge from the author’s puzzle books to his technical writing in the fascinating field of mathematical logic. Using the logic of lying and truth-telling, the author introduces the readers to informal reasoning preparing them for the formal study of symbolic logic, from propositional logic to first-order logic, a subject that has many important applications to philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. The book includes a journey through the amazing labyrinths of infinity, which have stirred the imagination of mankind as much, if not more, than any other subject.

This book features a unique approach to the teaching of mathematical logic by putting it in the context of the puzzles and paradoxes of common language and rational thought. It serves as a bridge from the author’s puzzle books to his technical writing in the fascinating field of mathematical logic. Using the logic of lying and truth-telling, the author introduces the readers to informal reasoning preparing them for the formal study of symbolic logic, from propositional logic to first-order logic, a subject that has many important applications to philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. The book includes a journey through the amazing labyrinths of infinity, which have stirred the imagination of mankind as much, if not more, than any other subject.

Raymond M. Smullyan is a mathematician, concert pianist, logician, philosopher, and magician. Born in Far Rockaway, New York, his first career was stage magic. He then obtained a BSc from Chicago in 1955 and a Ph.D. from Princeton in 1959. He is the author of more than twenty books and numerous research articles on the topics of mathematical logic, set theory, theory of computable functions, mathematical games and puzzles, and Eastern philosophy. He has been a contributor to Scientific American.