Table of Contents

Foreward

Preface

Acknowledgments

PART I  LOGIC AND LAGUAGE

SECTION A  REASONING

Chapter 1  Basic Logical Concepts

1.1 What Logic Is

1.2 Propositions and Arguments

1.3 Recognizing Arguments

1.4 Arguments and Explanations

1.5 Deductive and Inductive Arguments

1.6 Validity and Truth

Chapter 2    Analyzing Arguments

2.1 Paraphrasing Arguments

2.2 Diagramming Arguments

2.3 Complex Argumentative Passages

2.4 Problems in Reasoning

SECTION B INFORMAL LOGIC

Chapter 3    Language and Definitions

3.1 Language Functions

3.2 Emotive Language, Neutral Language, and Disputes

3.3 Disputes and Ambiguity

3.4 Definitions and Their Uses

3.5 The Structure of Definitions: Extension and Intension

3.6 Definition by Genus and Difference

Chapter 4   Fallacies

4.1 What Is a Fallacy?

4.2 Classification of Fallacies

4.3 Fallacies of Relevance

4.4 Fallacies of Defective Induction

4.5 Fallacies of Presumption

4.6 Fallacies of Ambiguity

Part II  Deduction

Section A Classical Logic

Chapter 5    Categorical Propositions

5.1 The Theory of Deduction

5.2 Classes and Categorical Propositions

5.3 The Four Kinds of Categorical Propositions

5.4 Quality, Quantity, and Distribution

5.5 The Traditional Square of Opposition

5.6 Further Immediate Inferences

5.7 Existential Import and the Interpretation of Categorical Propositions

5.8 Symbolism and Diagrams for Categorical Propositions

Chapter 6    Categorical Syllogisms

6.1 Standard-Form Categorical Syllogisms

6.2 The Formal Nature of Syllogistic Argument

6.3 Venn Diagram Technique for Testing Syllogisms

6.4 Syllogistic Rules and Syllogistic Fallacies

6.5 Exposition of the Fifteen Valid Forms of the Categorical Syllogism

Appendix: Deduction of the Fifteen Valid Forms of the Categorical Syllogism

Chapter 7    Syllogisms in Ordinary Language

7.1 Syllogistic Arguments

7.2 Reducing the Number of Terms to Three

7.3 Translating Categorical Propositions into Standard Form

7.4 Uniform Translation

7.5 Enthymemes

7.6 Sorites

7.7 Disjunctive and Hypothetical Syllogisms

7.8 The Dilemma

Section B Modern Logic

Chapter 8    Symbolic Logic

8.1 Modern Logic and Its Symbolic Language

8.2 The Symbols for Conjunction, Negation, and Disjunction

8.3 Conditional Statements and Material Implication

8.4 Argument Forms and Refutation by Logical Analogy

8.5 The Precise Meaning of “Invalid” and “Valid”

8.6 Testing Argument Validity Using Truth Tables

8.7 Some Common Argument Forms

8. 8 Statement Forms and Material Equivalence

8.9 Logical Equivalence

8.10 The Three “Laws of Thought”

Chapter 9    Methods of Deduction

9.1  Formal Proof of Validity

9.2  The Elementary Valid Argument Forms

9.3  Formal Proofs of Validity Exhibited

9.4  Constructing Formal Proofs of Validity

9.5  Constructing More Extended Formal Proofs

9.6  Expanding the Rules of Inference: Replacement Rules

9.7  The System of Natural Deduction

9.8  Constructing Formal Proofs Using the Nineteen Rules of Inference

9.9  Proof of Invalidity

9.10 Inconsistency

9.11 Indirect Proof of Validity

9.12 Shorter Truth-Table Technique

Chapter 10   Quantification Theory

10.1 The Need for Quantification

10.2 Singular Propositions

10.3 Universal and Existential Quantifiers

10.4 Traditional Subject—Predicate Propositions

10.5 Proving Validity

10.6 Proving Invalidity

10.7 Asyllogistic Inference

Part III  Induction

Section A Analogy and Causation

Chapter 11 Analogical Reasoning

11.1 Induction and Deduction Revisited

11.2 Argument by Analogy

11.3 Appraising Analogical Arguments

11.4 Refutation by Logical Analogy

Chapter 12   Causal Reasoning

12.1  Cause and Effect

12.2  Causal Laws and the Uniformity of Nature

12.3  Induction by Simple Enumeration

12.4  Methods of Causal Analysis

12.5  Limitations of Inductive Techniques

Section B Science and Probability

Chapter 13 Science and Hypothesis

13.1 Scientific Explanation

13.2 Scientific Inquiry: Hypothesis and Confirmation

13.3 Evaluating Scientific Explanations

13.4 Classification as Hypothesis

Chapter 14   Probability

14.1   Alternative Conceptions of Probability

14.2   The Probability Calculus

14.3   Probability in Everyday Life

Solutions to Selected Exercises

About the Author

Irving M. Copi was a philosopher and logician. He taught at the University of Illinois, the United States Air Force Academy, Princeton University, and the Georgetown University Logic Institute, before teaching logic at the University of Michigan, 1958-69, and at the University of Hawaii, 1969-90. His other works include Essentials of Logic, Informal Logic, and Symbolic Logic.


Carl Cohen is Professor of Philosophy at the Residential College of the University of Michigan. He has published many essays in moral and political philosophy in philosophical, medical, and legal journals. He has served as a member of the Medical School faculty of the University of Michigan, and as Chairman of the University of Michigan faculty, where he has been an active member of the philosophy faculty since 1955. His other works include The Animal Rights Debate (2001), with Prof. Tom Regan; he is also the author of Democracy (1972); the author of Four Systems (1982); the editor of Communism, Fascism, and Democracy (1997); the co-author (with J. Sterba) of Affirmative Action and Racial Preference (2003)


Kenneth D. McMahon studied physics, philosophy, and English Literature as an undergraduate, then took graduate degrees in psychology and philosophy.  He has taught critical thinking, philosophy, statistics, and  psychology, and currently teaches logic for Hawaii Pacific University.  His professional interests include logic, epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of mind, as well as cognitive science, psychometrics, computational theories of mind, and evolutionary psychology.

Reviews

"...The readiblity is excellent. The chapter summaries and charts are appropriate and helpful. [Introduction to Logic] delivers a formidable subject in an easy-to-ingest manner.  ...The explanations are easy enough for the novice while rigorous enough to remain a reference work for someone who may occasionally need to return to to a definition of some fallacy or another or needs a quick discussion of asyllogistic inference, for example. ...The text covers Aristotilian and syllogistic logic quite well. ...I think the book's strongest point is the presentation of the informal fallacies. It provides a nice aid for students to sharpen their argumentive skills; even when they may be unfamiliar topics." Jason Flato, Georgia Perimeter College, USA "[Of the book’s pedagogy:] well thought out and organized." David Vessey, Grand Valley State University, USA "The strength of the book is that, no matter when a student reads it, it always is sure to have the latest and most pertinent examples..." Drew Berkowitz, Bridgewater State College, USA "The explanation of scientific inquiry is particularly lucid and thorough. Compatibility, predictive power, falsifiability, and simplicity are also very well explained. The exercises provided are applicable to real world instances of scientific inquiry." William Ferraiolo, San Joaquin Delta College, USA "Introduction to Logic provides a nice aid for students to sharpen their argumentative skills, even when they may be unfamiliar with the topics (..) The strength of the book is that no matter when a student reads it, it always is sure to have the latest and most pertinent examples." - Multipotens