Some of our earliest experiences of the conclusive force of an argument come from school mathematics: faced with a mathematical proof, we cannot deny the conclusion once the premises have been accepted. Behind such arguments lies a more general pattern of 'demonstrative arguments' that is studied in the science of logic. Logical reasoning is applied at all levels, from everyday life to advanced sciences, and a remarkable level of complexity is achieved in everyday logical reasoning, even if the principles behind it remain intuitive. Jan von Plato provides an accessible but rigorous introduction to an important aspect of contemporary logic: its deductive machinery. He shows that when the forms of logical reasoning are analysed, it turns out that a limited set of first principles can represent any logical argument. His book will be valuable for students of logic, mathematics and computer science.

This book provides an accessible and at the same time scientifically rigorous introduction to the principles of logical reasoning.

About the Author
Jan von Plato is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Helsinki. He is the author of Creating Modern Probability (Cambridge University Press, 1994) and, with Sara Negri, Structural Proof Theory (Cambridge University Press, 2001) and Proof Analysis (Cambridge University Press, 2011).

Reviews
'Elements of Logical Reasoning fills a gap by providing some much needed explanation and motivation to an otherwise dry literature.' Henry Towsner, The Mathematical Intelligencer



Book Information
ISBN 9781107610774
Author Jan von Plato
Format Paperback
Page Count 271
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 560g
Dimensions(mm) 246mm * 173mm * 13mm