Socratic Logic: A Logic Text using Socratic Method, Platonic Questions, and Aristotelian Principles, Edition 3.1 3rd Edition

At the core of any work, especially something so foundational a topic as logic, lies a particular web of beliefs and principles that the authors bring to the table.In the average logic course, you're likely to encounter either Irving Copi's or Patrick Hurley's textbook, and both are quite good; I've used both of them, and I especially enjoy Irving Copi's book, as he was a talented student who had the privilege of studying under the illustrious Bertrand Russell, and his talent in and passion for clear reasoning in the pursuit of truth comes through nicely.Still, one thing is missing from these two that can, in turn, be found in Kreeft's text on logic, and that is a justification for his approach to the subject over and against others. Kreeft champions a classical approach to logic, which is by no means a deficient one, contrary to any of Wittgenstein's infamous remarks, and this sort of full disclosure and justification isn't quite something one will get from other texts, as far as I'm aware. The mere acknowledgement of the disjunction between the modern approach to logic and classical one is what makes this book worth studying, especially serving a corrective, supplemental, or dialectical role in relation to Copi or Hurley.In addition to the dialectical value of this book, there are a few quality-of-life advantages that this book has over, say, Copi et al. For example, Kreeft's incisive wit and wry prose are welcome antidotes to their more blithe and dull counterparts found in standard textbooks. It also covers the same foundational building blocks that are standard in a logic course, so you're not going to be surprised per se by material found in Copi or Hurley if you solely read Kreeft as your introduction to logic, but I do recommend it as a companion to Copi's text in logic for a more holistic approach to study.

As a layperson who has somewhat of an interest in philosophy and logic, I honestly don't feel like I need any other book. This book is perfect for the amount of depth that I want to get into the subject. It's not too much and not too little. I like that the author stresses the importance of classical logic over modern symbolic logic. I think if I dove straight into symbolic logic, I would've quickly lost interest in the subject.

Dr. Kreeft is an amazing logician, philosopher and theologian. His work is wonderfully inspiring and insightful. This book, which collects the wisdom of Socratic logic and re-presents it to a modern reader, is indispensable if you want to be better able to understand your thoughts, determine what is true, valid and good, and understand how we can arrive at conclusions.

Pros:1. Kreeft's book is perhaps the most excellent introduction to logic (esp. Aristotelian) around.2. It is generally easy to read.3. It has abundant exercises and examples.Cons:1. Kreeft misunderstands so-called modern logic, confusing it with metaphysics. Any model of modern symbolic logic that is more advanced than simply propositional logic is just as serviceable with realist metaphysical backing as Aristotelian logic is. After awhile, the comments get annoying, and they tend to get worse in quality as the book goes on. There's an article in "First Things" that responds to Kreeft briefly and decisively on the matter, with excellent questions. For example: if Aristotelian logic is necessarily realist rather than nominalist, how did the nominalists in the 1300s get along just fine using it?2. Some of his exercises are...bad. As in, they don't actually test what the topic is. Most of them are fine, but somewhere around 5% of them seem more oriented towards Kreeft making criticisms of people/positions he disagrees with, instead of actually being on the topic.3. Inflated self-importance. While the best introductory text, Kreeft is not the only modern text which discusses Aristotelian logic (of course, this in part depends on just how recent a text has to be). Further, he has a far-reduced scope of primary sources. No non-Catholic thinkers in Aristotelian logic are referenced, which misses out on a huge amount of the Aristotelian tradition.That said, Kreeft really is one of the only Aristotelian logic texts around to actually include copious examples and exercises, dealing with ordinary language. While at times one of the more frustrating parts of the book, it is also definitely the most helpful and distinctive part of the book too.Until a better book of Aristotelian logic, which is less rhetorical, emerges: this is the best modern introduction to logical thinking for the contemporary student (whether high school or college, or later). I highly recommend its use.

Great condition, much appreciated!.

Unbelievable book (in a good way). I think it should be known that the author is a fervent believer of Christianity, which is why some reviews of the book are not so friendly towards the author. However, I could care less about PC culture and instead would rather focus on the wisdom and knowledge contained in this book. I’m writing this review long after reading as I revisited the book to buy for a friend and saw some unpleasant reviews. I have read the book multiple times and was easily able to ignore the authors “Christian personal philosophy.”I think people have become so sensitive that a book full of great teachings with a couple of anti PC moments has mangled their experience with the entire book. I’d imagine you found this book to learn, it will absolutely help you do so. (Something the bad reviews even admit to themselves! 1 star because it’s not PC enough? Cmon now)