In a republican nation,
whose citizens are to be led by reason and persuasion
and not by force, the art of reasoning becomes of the first importance.
— Thomas Jefferson Since the publication of the first edition in 1949, Irving M. Copi's Introduction to Logic has served thousands of instructors and students in both teaching and studying the fundamentals of classical and modern logic. In response to numerous instructors' requests for a truly concise introductory logic text for use in their courses, Prentice Hall is proud to present Essentials of Logic. Redacted from Copi & Cohen's Introduction to Logic, Eleventh Edition, this new concise edition provides a reliable, rigorous treatment of logic concepts as in the comprehensive version, but in a manner and style that is simpler, leaner, and with numerous aids for students to ensure their comprehension of the material. Virtually all of the topics covered in the Eleventh Edition find expression within Essentials of Logic. We are confident that the material covered and explication presented in Essentials of Logic will satisfy the needs of many instructors of logic who are seeking a more circumscribed treatment of logic for their students.
Features of Essentials of Logic
Chapter/section reduction and coverage. The number of chapters has been reduced from 14 to 9, and the number of sections within chapters has been reduced from 85 to 62. Most topics from Introduction to Logic were retained and many were merged in this text.
Exercise sets. The exercise sets include over 800 exercises, including new, simpler exercises for this concise version,coupled with a generous selection of exercises from the Introduction to Logic. Together, the exercises offer students an extensive array of problems with levels of difficulty that move from simpler to more complex in order to help students learn how to apply what they've learned at first more easily, so that they have the confidence to tackle more demanding problems as they progress through the exercise sets.
Increased use of charts, tables, and illustrated examples. In addition to new exercises, there are new charts, tables, and illustrated examples included in this concise edition. Former president Richard M. Nixon's appeal to authority during a news conference during Watergate is highlighted in Chapter 2's treatment of fallacies. A celebrity actor's likeness is used to explain the act of equivocation. A famous civil defense film's narration demonstrates propagandistic appeals better than any hypothetical illustration ever could! And a special flowchart, developed by Professor Dan Plage of James Madison University, helps walk students through the application of the six rules of validity for categorical syllogisms. These and other pedagogic aids help increase student comprehension, and enjoyment, of this challenging subject of logic.
Instructor supplements. Accompanying Essentials of Logic for instructors are a solutions manual and an instructor's manual with sample test questions. The test questions are also available in a computerized test manager program to aid in the preparation of tests for students.
Student supplements. There are two print supplements for students. These include a study guide and a new lecture notebook called LogicNotes. This new notebook provides all relevant section headings in Essentials of Logic with space for students to take notes, during their reading of the text and/or during lectures with their instructor on the material in the text.
There is also a revision of Prentice Hall's groundbreaking logic tutorial, eLogic! This tutorial is now available exclusively on CD-ROM, and includes over 500 of the exercises in Essentials of Logic for students to work electronically. Together with the exercises from the text, eLogic includes the tools students need to solve logic problems. Students can work problems, including diagramming arguments, creating Venn diagrams, constructing truth tables, and building proofs, and students receive constant feedback to guide them through solutions. Students can submit their work via email or hardcopy to their instructors, together with a Log Book showing how well they did. The following walkthrough provides an initial introduction to what awaits students in their use of eLogic!
- After students enter their own username and email address, they will decide which exercises they need to work by locating the appropriate chapter, and entering into the appropriate section where the exercises reside.
- Numerous navigation links are always available on the main screen, including help and access to the Log Book, where students can see which exercises they've worked on and how well they've done!
- NOTE that students can always refresh their understanding on how to use eLogic through the help link!
- Students select exercises by chapter section, and have ready at their command all necessary toolkits to solve logic problemsincluding diagramming arguments, Venn diagrams, truth tables, proof checkers, and a symbolic notation editor. Additionally, rules and a glossary are available for student reference.
