Customer Reviews

Informal Logic (3rd Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I hold this to be a good book on the subject of informal logic, but the value is rather poor. The reason for this is that much of the book is merely reiterating what was said on the subject in Irving Copi's "Introduction to Logic". What makes this really bad, is that "Introduction to Logic" costs more or less the same as this, and covers a lot more ground. Do not buy this book!! Buy "Introduction to Logic" instead, for its value is much better than this one, and will teach you all that this one will and more.

As an earlier reviewer noted, this book contains only a third of Copi's Introduction to Logic yet it costs almost as much.

There is nothing here that can't be found in Introduction to Logic. This is just another example of publishers repackaging old stuff and selling it at a premium, in an attempt to rip off college students.

If you want to learn logic, get Copi and Cohen's Introduction to Logic.And unless you are taking a course and thus need to do the exercises in the latest edition, save money by buying a cheap used copy of the previous edition.

...Most of what is found in this book is also found in Copi's "Introduction to Logic". However, if you are not interested in symbolic logic and only want to learn informal logic, Copi's "Informal Logic" might be a better choice. It covers the topic in slightly greater detail, from a slightly different perspective, and is a little less expensive than "Introduction". I, too, would enthusiastically recommend "Introduction" to customers interested in a superb overview of both formal & informal logic and their applications to scientific, legal, and everyday reasoning. But, considered on its own merits, "Informal Logic" is an excellent book, perhaps the best on this topic. (BTW, an excellent supplement and handy, inexpensive reference is Weston's Rulebook for Arguments.)

I with agree most of the others here. This book is way too expensive for what it offers. I had to use it for a logic class three years ago. It's okay, as far as it goes, but the price is ridiculously high. There are several equally good informal logic texts that cost only 1/4 what this one costs. Save your money and get one of the cheaper books. (Howard Kahane is good.)

i got this book for $20 at a used book store, for a lsat prep course im taking. it just repeats what a lot of other logic books say, theres nothing new or better about it. i cant believe how much it costs new. thats outrageous. college textbooks are such a rip off. get this one used. dont buy it new unless you have too much money and want to throw it away on crooked publishers.

This is a good book to read about the use of logic in everyday life.

Hmm. It seems the other reviewers have beat me to it. And for once, the Amazon reviewers are right. I was going to say the same thing about this textbook: It's a pretty good book on informal logic, but it's much too expensive for what you get. Copi's Introduction to Logic has everything this one does PLUS great coverage of symbolic logic. If you want a book that covers only informal logic, there are others as good as this, at half the price (Feldman, Kelley, Kahane, etc.).

Good intro to informal logic but the price is ridiculous. Buy it used if you can. If it weren't for the $85 price tag, I'd give it four stars, because it's one of the better books on this subject. (However, if you read the co-author's weblog, you might wonder whether knowing logic does you any good in the end.)