Customer Reviews

Language, Proof and Logic

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I bought a used copy of the book and software at the beginning of the term, for a class. Now that we're starting it, I find out that a) we will be using the CD's software, including the online grading service, and therefore b) the copy I bought is useless to me.

The grading service records one email address (i.e. that of the previous owner) per book number. That email, necessary for submitting homework and for sending you the results, cannot ever be changed. In my case, it turns out the CD (which includes a .pdf copy of the textbook anyway) was the important part of the purchase . . . and will not work since it's been used before.

So be warned: don't buy the package used if you will need the software.

I was recommended this recently book while visiting my old Philosophy Advisor while in Boston. I've been hooked ever since! While for me it has been a great review of logic, the problems and ability to have them anonymously graded on the net is great fun! At the end of chapter 3 one is already versed well enough in logic to use the more complicated search engines with boolean operators. (altavista advanced for example). Being able to use sophisticated search engines will prove to be more and more valuable and this book offers so much more.

Along with a rich and entertaining text, you get a (WindowsXP friendly) CD including four software applications: (Tarski's world, Fitch, Boole and Submit) all with the goal of making logic more interactive.

Tarksi's world offers a view of 3D geometric objects in which one is required to make true, then valid and eventually sound conclusions.

Fitch is a tool that lets one build FOL (First Order Logic) Proofs.

Boole is a truth table tool.

All applications compliment each other and are suppoted by Submit on the client side and Grade Grinder on the Server Side. So that one is never left too long without some feedback on whether or not the section has been understood.

The books website offers additional tips and hints.

Stanford uses this book in its two introductory philosophy classes (philosophy 57 and phil 159). It is appropriate for students without much exposure to math or computer science, as it is very verbose--much more so than Enderton's _Mathematical Logic_ for example.

Students found the software initially frustrating, and the instructor interface can also be harder to use than it should be, but in the end it is worth it. I handed out a survey at the end of one course and the students generally thought the software was helpful and shouldn't be omitted. Showing the students what to do can be helpful. I just took part of a class period and went through (using laptop+projector) installing the software, building a world, writing a sentence, submitting a few exercises, and getting feeback by email.

Oh, and even if the software [was bad], instructors w/o TAs would probably still love it, as 2/3rds of the exercises can be graded automatically.

Overall, this is not a bad book. In fact, I can see how it can be quite helpful for some. However, I must admit I'm not impressed by this book and would certainly not use it to teach a logic class.

Pro:
This book provides generous background information and explanation to the terms, concepts, rules, methods, etc. contained within. It also comes with a CD-Rom with helpufl information that guides you through the learning process. With this book, it is possible to submit your work to the "gradegrinder" grading service which will give you feedback on the submitted problems (Generally it tells you which line the mistake is made on or the type of mistake made.) It also uses a geometry based program which helps students understand what predicates are and how the function as variable modifiers. This can be quite helpful for the struggling student, students who do not self-check well, and (potentially) students with poor logic teachers. It covers sentential/propositional logic as well as predicate logic.

Con:
Having been exposed to other logic systems, most notibly that used by Allen and Hand in "Logic Primer." ( Logic Primer - 2nd Edition ) I find the system in LPL tedious, time consuming, and unnecessarily difficult. The logical operators were easier to read, to begin with. Most importantly, as one progressed through the text more derrived rules were available for use during proofs. (For people who are not familiar with logic, try to imagine making change with only pennies and ones. You can do it, but it is frustrating and hardly the fastest way. This is what the LPL book is like. "Logic Primer" is like having every denomination between pennies and twenties. - Having more rules is simply having more tools and options to work with.) I also had problems with the software. Answers must be entered near-perfectly and it is not very user friendly. It was difficult to enter commands and find buttons. Even if things were going smoothly it would still make my computer (which runs Windows Vista) crash continuously. My classmates who used Macs had problems, but they were different than those of us who used PCs. Although it requires a good professor, I prefer a more flexible system that allows students to be more creative in their proofs and does not bog them down in tedium.

Lastly, I couldn't stand how the LPL system forced usuers to discharge assumptions in the reverse order from which they were assumed. (A1, A2, A3 must be used in order of A3, A2, A1) It does this by forcing the user to make numerous sub-proofs which, using the other system, could be avoided by simply citing a derived rule.

This text is written in a very clear (shall I say logical?) manner. It covers all a first order logic course can consider.
The exercises are very well thought out and doing them gives the reader a thorough understanding of the subject matter in a chapter.
I disagree with another reviewer (John Rocklin) who did not like the software. There are adequate help files (he said there were none). The software is understandable, especially with 1) using it, 2) help files and 3) manual. It is extraordinarily useful to construct a "world" in which to test the truth of logical statements, prove the truth of a series of statements and devive a truth table for a given statement. The opportunity to send exercise answer files over the net and have them graded in minutes is a great feedback mechanism. The student can send files for grading until they are correct and then also send them to the professor for credit.
All in all, highly recommended.

I used this book in a distance learning course, so my experience was halfway between classroom and self-learning. There were moments when the instructor's very helpful remarks made a big difference by placing the immediate subject in a larger context or by giving me a hint for an especially tough proof. But the book itself is so well-paced that I'm convinced one can work one's way through it alone and get most of the benefit. The software is the key, because (if you get the latest edition and buy it new!) you have unlimited access to the Grade Grinder servers. No one need know how many typos or missteps you make in your proofs! Every problem can be solved, sooner or later, if you interact with the automatic grader. The writing style, level of editing, and succinctness of explanations are superb. I found the book plus its software quite a painless way to learn first-order logic.

I originally hated both the book and the software. Now I find them both incredibly effective tools to learn the basics of first-order logic. The book and the software work together. I imagine it must be difficult to get a good grasp of the concepts introduced in the book without exercising them on the software. The software, particularly Boole, the program designed for proofs, does give you inmediate feedback on proofs - not the case when working with pen and paper. Yes, it takes a while to get used to it, but, in the end, the result is quite rewarding!

HUGE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROBLEMS
This thick book (often called simply 'LPL') was specifically written to refer to and be used with the Boole and Fitch and Tarski's blocks world apps, plus an automated grading service, all on the included CD. That formulation seems just way over the top as far as unified and highly restrictive intellectual property issues are concerned. It's almost fascist the way this was handled by CSLI/Stanford. My main point here is that if you aren't taking a college course that uses this full 'system', then there is little reason for anyone else to spend their money on this tightly controlled package. Good luck if you are a student trying to make all this work together.

WORDINESS AND BABY LOGIC
Looking at this very wordy 600 page book, I do agree with the assessment of some undergraduate students taking a course from this system that, to a large extent, its technical level does amount to 'baby logic'. Discussion of that issue is on pp. 10-11 of LPL.

VIEWING APPS AND PREFERABLE PDF
It was mildly interesting to spend a few minutes seeing what the Boole and Fitch apps look like. Also in this package, the unprintable PDF of the LPL book on the CD is highly preferable to the hard copy for navigating the book, since the PDF has a fully linked table of contents in its sidebar, and that allows easy jumping to the index or any other part of the book.

STORAGE LOCATION
This IP lock-down package stays in its original box stored out of my way under some old calculator boxes. I do have that PDF of the book stored on my computer with three other logic textbook PDFs.

OFTEN NOT AVAILABLE
For periods on a regular basis, this restrictive IP monster is shown as 'Currently unavailable' on its Amazon page. In my opinion, with luck, it will go out of print completely. Major author Jon Barwise has been deceased since Mar00, so maybe there is not much needed 'maintenance' of this package anymore.

The only reason to use this book is if it is required for your class, in which case there's no reason for you to be reading these reviews. If, like me, you are studying logic on your own, don't waste your time with this book. In order to check your work using the authors' website, you need to have the most recent (and therefore most expensive) edition.

I suppose this book does an okay job teaching logic programming to CS students, but I think there are better books on the market for that purpose. And if you are interested in philosophical logic, I recommend either Copi's or Gensler's book over this one.

I used this textbook for an introductory logic course in college and absolutely loved it. I have kept it even after finishing the course and graduating from university.

I found the explanations clear and the exercises helpful. They did a good job explaining difficult concepts in a clear and concise way.

The software that comes with this book is also very helpful and compliments the exercises and book very well; I wish all of my textbooks had software packages that were that helpful. I know some other reviewers have criticized the software for being "too confusing" but I didn't find this to be the case at all (although I must admit I was a senior Computer Science major when I took this course, so that may have had something to do with that). The only thing that took a little time to learn was the keyboard shortcuts for Fitch (the program for doing proofs). Granted, for people who aren't good with a computer the software may have a bit more of a learning curve but once they learn it I think even they will admit that it's a great aid to learning.

My only major complaint about this book is the fact that the software can only be used once, which is a game that the publisher plays to force students to buy a new textbook. (This is the main reason I rated the book four stars instead of five).

One thing that I really would have liked to have seen a treatment of is informal fallacies. Yes, I do realize this book is mostly about formal logic, but still, I was a bit surprised that this was omitted from the book; if I were the authors, I would at least include an appendix on that or something. If you're studying logic on your own, you may want to supplement the book at this point.

Other than those issues, this is a wonderful textbook and a great introduction to the basics of modern logic. It is appropriate for all sorts of people; it's practically essential if you're in philosophy, math, or computer science, and the format of this book will be particularly helpful for people in these fields. Even if you're just looking to improve your critical thinking and reasoning skills, this is a great book for you.