Introduction to Philosophical Logic [Hardcover]

Professor Anthony Grayling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0631206558 | ISBN-13: 978-0631206552 | Edition: 3

An Introduction to Philosophical Logic has been a popular mainstay among students taking courses in philosophical logic and the philosophy of language since it was first published in 1982.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

An Introduction to Philosophical Logic is a popular mainstay for students taking courses in philosophical logic and the philosophy of language. Covering some of the most central topics in philosophy - the proposition, theories of truth, existence, meaning and reference, realism and anti-realism - it aims to be an accessible guide to philosophical logic.

This new edition keeps the same successful format, with each chapter providing a self-contained introduction to the topic it discusses, rewritten to include updated information. The author has also revised his concluding chapter and completely updated the bibliography.

About the Author

A.C. Grayling is Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, London and aFellow of St Anne's Colege, Oxford.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 3 edition (January 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631206558
• ISBN-13: 978-0631206552
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,232,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, stimulating, and helpful introduction., October 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: An Introduction to Philosophical Logic (Paperback)

This is an excellent survey of the main discussions in analytic philosophy, covering truth, meaning, necessity, and the debate between realism and anti-realism. It is clearly written and well organised, and provides an in-depth but accessible introduction to the central preoccupations of contemporary analytic philosophy. Anyone studying philosophy will benefit from the thorough introduction this book gives to the family of fundamental debates which are gathered under the (slightly misleading) title of "philosophical logic" (misleading because "philosophical logic" is not about logic as such; rather, this is the name Bertrand Russell gave to the technical aspects of questions about truth, meaning, the modalities, and the relation of these questions to metaphysics and epistemology). Grayling has surveyed these fundamental debates in a way that equips the reader to engage in them himself or herself. There is a connection between this book and Grayling's two "Past Master" studies (Oxford University Press), one of them on Russell and the other on Wittgenstein, because these two philosophers (especially Russell) provided much of the basis of twentieth century analytic philosophy. The principal themes of their work figures largely here, along with the contributions of Quine, Strawson, Putnam, Dummett, and other major figures of recent and contemporary philosophy. In all, the result is an invigorating and marvellously helpful introduction to the heartland of current philosophy.

60 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended., October 12, 1999

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Introduction to Philosophical Logic (Paperback)

Enough centuries have passed that everyone should know this: If you want a clear and readable exposition of a difficult and complex subject, you ask a British philosopher.

In that grand tradition of solidity and soundness, A.C. Grayling here provides, without fanfare but with a good deal of clarity and wit, a thoroughly reliable and lucidly intelligible introduction to logic as this topic is understood within the broad spectrum of analytic philosophy.

A standard textbook that is now in its third edition (with extensive revisions and additions by the author), this volume also makes for useful reading by interested laypersons (who may also know Grayling as the author of two excellent volumes in the _Past Masters_ series, on Russell and Wittgenstein). It is highly recommended to anyone seeking an accessible introduction to the field.

Grayling is also recommended as a master of what Brand Blanshard memorably called "philosophical style." The oracular pronouncements of the world's Nietzsches, Kierkegaards, Wittgensteins, and Ayn Rands usually get all the attention, but what really keeps the enterprise of philosophy going is the much-underappreciated art and skill of writing fine expository prose. In that respect, this volume is a gem.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to philosophical logic, September 23, 2006

By 

Mark Twain (US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Introduction to Philosophical Logic (Paperback)

Over the years I return to Grayling's Introduction to Philosophical Logic to review and re-think some of the big issues of contemporary philosophy. Grayling clearly articulate the reasons for the debates and the sides that are battling it out. He covers propositions, necessity, existence, meaning, truth, reference, etc., and then finishes off by venturing into the fray between realism and antirealism. I just think this is one of the best philosophy books you'll ever buy, read, and use again.