The Art of Logic in an Illogical World

by Eugenia Cheng Narrated by Moira Quirk

Overview

How both logical and emotional reasoning can help us live better in our post-truth world

In a world where fake news stories change election outcomes, has rationality become futile? In The Art of Logic in an Illogical World, Eugenia Cheng throws a lifeline to readers drowning in the illogic of contemporary life. Cheng is a mathematician, so she knows how to make an airtight argument. But even for her, logic sometimes falls prey to emotion, which is why she still fears flying and eats more cookies than she should. If a mathematician can't be logical, what are we to do? In this book, Cheng reveals the inner workings and limitations of logic, and explains why alogic -- for example, emotion -- is vital to how we think and communicate. Cheng shows us how to use logic and alogic together to navigate a world awash in bigotry, mansplaining, and manipulative memes. Insightful, useful, and funny, this essential book is for anyone who wants to think more clearly.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"It's a shame that not everyone can read this book, but Cheng claims it is incumbent on those of us who can to use compassion and logic to argue productively with those who can't. In this way, advanced mathematics could make a meaningful contribution to creating a better society as well as happier conversations and relationships. There is a sense in which this book is proof it can."—Guardian

"Following in the tradition of George Boole, Lewis Carroll and John Venn, who provided algebraic or diagrammatic aids to logical calculation, Eugenia Cheng enhances her reputation as a popular mathematics writer with this perceptive analysis of logic and its limitations."—Times Higher Education

"Cheng's book covers the basics of logic, argumentation, and emotion through humor and an excellent use of illustrations like ice cream, sexism, and Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem."—MAA Reviews

"Entertaining... a very welcome primer in logical thinking."—Kirkus Reviews

"Cheng's suggestion to combine the persuasive powers of logic with emotional appeal to find common ground is original and pragmatic, particularly in these divisive times."—Publishers Weekly

"With humor, grace, and a natural gift for making explanations seem fun, Eugenia Cheng has done it again. This is a book to savor, to consult, and to buy for all your friends. You'll think more clearly after reading this book, something that is unfortunately in short supply these days. I am buying several copies to send to heads of state."—Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind

"This book is empowering! Eugenia Cheng makes logic alive and relevant with prose that is accessible, clear and engaging. In this masterpiece, you will learn how the power of logic can clarify some of the most pressing issues that confront us, as individuals and a society."—Stephon Alexander, author of The Jazz of Physics and professor of physics, Brown University

Kirkus Reviews

2018-06-27
Logic helps people build bridges to understanding. But what if people don't want those bridges? Aha, says this entertaining guide: There's a meta-problem for you….In our current landscape of the postfactual, the loudest bellower is king. Enter Cheng (Beyond Infinity: An Expedition to the Outer Limits of Mathematics, 2017, etc.), the scientist in residence at the Art Institute of Chicago—now there's a good idea—and possessor of a formidable, mathematically inclined mind. Though the author aims to teach math, science, and formal logic as she progresses, she really means to help readers construct better arguments, which may turn out to be a world-saving proposition. There is a built-in advantage to using logic, she writes, in that it provides a framework for discovering what is true, and "one of the main reasons to have a clear framework for accessing truth is to be able to agree about things." The notion of agreement will come into play late in the book, when Cheng analyzes the best kinds of arguments, which allow us to understand another person's point of view. Until that point, there are theorems, axioms, and proofs to go through, for mathematically based logic hinges on such things as the union of sets (the place where two circles meet in a Venn diagram) and the proper application of analogy to any particular problem. The author isn't exactly playful, but she pitches a few paradoxes as she moves along—one of them being the fact that, since logic doesn't actually correspond to what we know as the real world, we have to "forget the pesky details that prevent things from behaving logically." In other words, we have to think abstractly, which poses plenty of other challenges.Though full of pauses, second glances, and head-scratches, this is a very welcome primer in logical thinking.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173541413
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	09/11/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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