Abstract

This is a textbook on traditional deductive logic, designed for a one semester course. Topics such as definition and the informal fallacies take the scope of the book somewhat beyond the boundaries of formal logic. Although the subjects covered in this book are for the most part topics standard in Aristotelian textbooks, the detail of the analysis exceeds the standard treatment. The book is divided into five main parts. The first part deals with the basic concepts of logic, and the second part specifically examines the basic concepts of Aristotelian logic. Part 1 introduces the reader to the notions of argument and of validity. A valid argument is an argument whose conclusion follows necessarily from its premises, whereas a deductive argument is an argument that claims to be valid.