Now much revised since its first appearance in 1941, this book, despite its brevity, is notable for its scope and rigor. It provides a single strand of simple techniques for the central business of modern logic. Basic formal concepts are explained, the paraphrasing of words into symbols is treated at some length, and a testing procedure is given for truth-function logic along with a complete proof procedure for the logic of quantifiers. Fully one third of this revised edition is new, and presents a nearly complete turnover in crucial techniques of testing and proving, some change of notation, and some updating of terminology. The study is intended primarily as a convenient encapsulation of minimum essentials, but concludes by giving brief glimpses of further matters.
Editorial Reviews
“A masterpiece of clarity and analysis, setting forth at once briefly and comprehensively an introduction to formal logic that few can match.” ―Philosophical Studies
“For Quine, of course, the territory of logic seems but an extension of his own back yard, so assuredly does he walk there where others tread only with brainracking caution. And as he is both master innovator and master explicator, with a masterful prose style to boot, any work of his is a painless necessity.” ―Choice
“It will serve the purpose of inculcating, by precept and example, standards of clarity and precision which are, even in formal logic, more often pursued than achieved . Viewed as a whole, the system of logic explained in this book comes nearer than any previous attempt to conforming with the regulative ideals of the mathematical logician...This advance in unification and deductive elegance is not achieved at the expense of rigour; while the striking nature of the gain in the conciseness of the whole may be verified by any reader who will compare the length of this book with that of the corresponding sections in Principia... Every section of this book provides evidence of rare skill, both in research and communication; it deserves to be read and read again by all who have a serious interest in mathematical logic.” ―Max Black, Mind
“Combines exemplary clarity and precision with an unusual vividness and originality in style which actually make the study of the work a fascinating adventure--no small achievement in the reputedly dullest and most barren field of scientific research.” ―Carl G. Hempel, Philosophic Abstracts
About the Author
Willard Van Orman Quine (1908–2000) held the Edgar Pierce Chair of Philosophy at Harvard University from 1956 to 2000. Considered one the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century, he is the author of Mathematical Logic, The Roots of Reference, The Time of My Life: An Autobiography (MIT Press), and many other books.
