Philosophy

For undergraduate-level courses in Logic, Critical Thinking, Informal Logic, and Deductive Logic.

Bridging the gap between introductory logic texts and those texts that emphasize critical thinking only, Critical Reasoning and Logic presents a process that enables students to apply proper reasoning techniques in a practical fashion. It encourages them to not only evaluate someone else's reasoning, but to apply these techniques to their own writing and reasoning.

• Emphasis on identifying arguments—Acknowledged as one of the most difficult skills for a beginning student to master.

  • Allows students to begin with problems they can easily do, but then takes them toward problems that are much more difficult so that they can gradually grasp this difficult concept. Gives instructors numerous problems to work through with their students.

• Inductive Reasoning—Covers one third of the text.

  • Shows students how to realistically evaluate most of the materials they read and write as those materials rely heavily on inductive reasoning. Gives instructor adequate materials to present a solid introduction to inductive reasoning.

• Focus on the correlation between writing and good reasoning.

  • Teaches students what they must offer in terms of evidence to support their claim when writing a paper.

• Practical and relevant material.

  • Encourages students to develop a process of evaluation and decision making that applies to their other coursework and future careers.

• A range of problems—From simple to complex.

  • Gives instructors flexibility in assigning homework. Allows students to gain confidence with the simpler problems before they progress to the more difficult problems.

• Examples of student papers.

  • Gives students a model to look at as they are developing their own papers. Gives instructors a realistic view of what to expect from a student who is just learning critical reasoning.

I. INTRODUCTION.

II. INDUCTIVE REASONING.

III. DEDUCTIVE REASONING.

IV. APPLICATION.

Informal Logic  (Philosophy)
Introduction to Logic  (Philosophy)
Critical Thinking  (Philosophy)

"This is an excellent text. The writing is strong. In particular, the section on identifying arguments is well done. The writing applications give the students a strong sense of the practical applications of logical principles, something missing from many texts." — Michael Coste, Front Range Community College

"A comprehensive introduction to the basics of reasoning, with helpful summaries and exercises. Both student and instructor should find this a useful tool for enhancing reasoning skills." — Scott Shalkowski, University of Leeds

"Boyd has written a wide-ranging text that will be useful for almost any kind of introductory course in logic or critical reasoning. The author is to be commended for writing an accessible text that also has plenty of rigor....Boyd's book does an effective job in covering the topics most instructors will be looking for in a textbook of this sort, but it also stands out in terms of the real-life reasoning exercises it provides and the way it focuses on practical applications." — William Lawhead, University of Mississippi

Robert Boyd's new text is useful for introductory courses in critical reasoning and logic. This text assumes that logic is practiced and best understood by students when they see practical applications of logic principles. Boyd's text integrates the rigor of the study of logic in a fresh, accessible style of writing to show students that logic is essential and less daunting than they might think. In addition to teaching students how to become better thinkers, the text also helps students become better writers.

Features of Critical Reasoning and Logic

• Exceedingly clear and accurate account of formal and informal logic
• Rigorous study of logic while remaining accessible to students
• Balanced between inductive and deductive reasoning problems
• Practical applications of logic principles throughout entire text
• Hundreds of engaging exercises
• Oriented towards helping students become better writers through student projects
• Places study of reasoning within context of larger concerns

Companion Website - Boyd
Boyd
©2003 | Prentice Hall | On-line Supplement; 0 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 013045737X | ISBN-13: 9780130457370
URL:  http://www.prenhall.com/boyd

Companion Website - Boyd
Boyd
©2003 | Prentice Hall | On-line Supplement; 0 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 013045737X | ISBN-13: 9780130457370
URL:  http://www.prenhall.com/boyd

Instructor's Manual
Boyd
©2003 | Prentice Hall | Paper; 174 pp | Available on Demand   What's this?
ISBN-10: 0130485608 | ISBN-13: 9780130485601

Companion Website - Boyd
Boyd
©2003 | Prentice Hall | On-line Supplement; 0 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 013045737X | ISBN-13: 9780130457370
URL:  http://www.prenhall.com/boyd

Common Philosophical Terms
Prentice Hall
©2005 | Prentice Hall | Paper; 72 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 013189661X | ISBN-13: 9780131896611
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InterWrite PRS RF (Personal Response System)
InterWrite PRS & Allyn & Bacon/Longman
©2005 | Prentice Hall | Electronic Supplement | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205436951 | ISBN-13: 9780205436958

Philosophy Cafe Website (Open access)
Longman
©2005 | Prentice Hall | Website | Instock
ISBN-10: 0321275853 | ISBN-13: 9780321275851
URL:  http://www.ablongman.com/philosophycafe

ResearchNavigator.com Guide
Allyn & Bacon
©2007 | Prentice Hall | Paper; 48 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205517196 | ISBN-13: 9780205517190

ResearchNavigator.com Guide
Allyn & Bacon & Barr
©2007 | Prentice Hall | Paper; 48 pp | Out of Stock
ISBN-10: 020552396X | ISBN-13: 9780205523962

iClicker Classroom Response System
iClicker & Allyn & Bacon/Longman
©2008 | Prentice Hall | Electronic Supplement | Instock
ISBN-10: 0205594506 | ISBN-13: 9780205594504

Companion Website - Boyd
Boyd
©2003 | Prentice Hall | On-line Supplement; 0 pp | Instock
ISBN-10: 013045737X | ISBN-13: 9780130457370
URL:  http://www.prenhall.com/boyd

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