Learning Logic
September 29, 2014 7:34 AM   Subscribe

I would like to take a college course on logic. I am not currently enrolled in any college. And, I have missed registration for the fall semester for most community colleges and adult ed centers. I bought a book on logic but I am having trouble learning from it. Would prefer to use a book in conjunction with lectures. How should I proceed? Typically this type of course is offered in the philosophy department. My main interest is in dissecting arguments to find logical structures. I am open to taking an online course or even listening to a set of lectures on logic, especially if a workbook is required. thank you.
posted by Jason and Laszlo to Education (11 answers total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
 
This coursea course is starting today and the materials look reasonable.
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 7:37 AM on September 29, 2014


"My main interest is in dissecting arguments to find logical structures." Have you considered studying critical thinking? You can think of it as applied logic. Read the description for this free Oxford course and see if this approach addresses the reasons you want to study logic. Here's an excerpt from that page:
Talbot builds the course from the ground up, and begins by explaining that arguments consist of a set of premises that, logically linked together, lead to a conclusion. She proceeds to outline the way to lay out an argument logically and clearly, and eventually, the basic steps involved in assessing its strengths and weaknesses.
When I was in college, I studied formal logic in a philosophy class. The material was very abstract and didn't really help me in any real-world situations. I wish I had taken a class in critical thinking instead.
posted by alex1965 at 7:54 AM on September 29, 2014 [3 favorites]


there are tons of free online universities. I took an online logic course last year, free & very interesting.

https://www.coursera.org/course/intrologic this one starts today, you may be able to sign up still. Oops I see someone else has posted this too.
posted by RichardHenryYarbo at 7:57 AM on September 29, 2014


My main interest is in dissecting arguments to find logical structures.

Honestly, you don't want to take a 'logic' class. Logic is about formally structuring information in such a way that you can draw deductions from it. It's largely a mechanical exercise. Almost no one in daily life argues using formal logic. Learning formal logic is primarily useful if you plan to pursue computer science or mathematics.
posted by empath at 8:20 AM on September 29, 2014 [4 favorites]


You could check out MIT's free online courses. Here's a class on logic.
posted by solotoro at 8:44 AM on September 29, 2014


There's always University of Reddit. They have an archived course in logic here.
posted by defmute at 8:50 AM on September 29, 2014


I have found that this book has been a great supplemental tool to my formal logic classes. I imagine you could use it on its own and teacher yourself rather easily.
posted by fignewton at 11:27 AM on September 29, 2014


Also, I would suggest disregarding the naysayers here. I have found the study of logic to be enormously useful in my daily life. It has resulted in cleaner, tighter thinking as well as the ability to better organize my thinking into more precise, compelling arguments.
posted by fignewton at 11:31 AM on September 29, 2014


The principles of correct logical argument and, more interesting, the various kinds of errors in argument, were worked out long ago and give Latin names, e.g argumentum ad hominem. This is approach works as well today as it ever did. I think a course given by a philosophy dept would be the best place to look.

Newer approaches are more mathematical. Terms you may see are symbolic logic and the predicate calculus. They are more concerned with building a structure that can handle relationships that are complicated to deal with.

Any logic course in a computer science dept is not going to be helpful in dissecting the arguments on the op Ed pages or cable TB.
posted by SemiSalt at 2:17 PM on September 29, 2014


I teach (formal) logic now and then at the college level. And, frankly, I'm totally unnecessary: you can teach yourself logic from a book with a little bit of motivation. You already know how to do logic, you just have to have it coaxed out of you. There are a lot of excellent texts, and it all depends on what you want to do. Not strictly a logic text, I'd suggest working through Daniel Velleman's excellent How To Prove It and going to various online forums when you get stuck on a problem. Or hell, MeMail me if you get stuck, I always enjoy going over this stuff.
posted by dis_integration at 6:08 PM on September 29, 2014 [5 favorites]


I agree that perhaps what you're looking for is more a course on critical thinking than on formal logic. Such a course will focus on common argumentative fallacies, argument structure, and practical applications of general logic. Formal logic is not as directly applicable to daily life or structured debate, although it can be a lot of fun if you're of the right mindset about it. My first formal logic text was s Logic and Philosophy: A Modern Introduction but I think you might enjoy this one more and find it more applicable to your aims.
posted by alltomorrowsparties at 8:15 AM on September 30, 2014


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