Logic and Philosophy ─ An Integrated Introduction

In the Western philosophical tradition logical investigation and philosophical advance have been inextricably linked, each having stimulated and shaped the other. In "Logic and Philosophy" William H. Brenner examines a broad range of logical concepts and methods as they relate to the larger context of philosophical investigation and thus bring to light the philosophical depth of logic and its relevance to philosophy in general. The dual purpose of this volume - to provide a distinctively philosophical introduction to logic, as well as a logic-orientated approach to philosophy - should make this book a worthwhile primary text for logic and/or philosophy courses. And though "Logic and Philosophy" is fully accessible to beginners, it should be a profitable text for advanced students as well, one that provides distinctive and illuminating perspectives on material that will be familiar to them. The first five chapters covers a variety of elementary formal and informal types of reasoning, including one on traditional logic that culminates in a treatment of Aristotle's philosophy of science; a truth-functional logic chapter that examines Wittgenstein's philosophy of language, logic and mysticism; and sections on induction, analogy, and fallacies that incorporate material on mind-body dualism, pseudoscience, the "raven paradox", abortion, and proofs of God. The remaining four chapters treat a variety of philosophical topics: "a priori" knowledge, ethics and the soul, freedom and determinism, knowledge and the mind, the nature of religious belief, time and becoming, and the nature of philosophy. Throughout the book Brenner highlights passages and ideas from various prominent philosophers, and discusses at some length the work of Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, and Wittgenstein.