Thinking about Logic

Steven M. Cahn is professor of philosophy at the Graduate School and University centre, City University of New York. He is the author of numerous books, including Puzzles and Perplexities: Collected Essays and Philosophical Explorations: Freedom, God, and Goodness. Among the many volumes he has edited and coedited are Philosophy for the 21st Century: A Comprehensive Reader Knowledge and Reality Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy and Classic and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of Education.Robert B. Talisse is professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University. His books include Democracy and Moral Conflict Pragmatism: A Guide for the Perplexed A Pragmatist Philosophy of Democracy and Democracy after Liberalism. He has also coedited numerous volumes, including The Pragmatic Turn Political Problems and A Teacher's Life: Essays for Steven Cahn.Scott F. Aikin is a senior lecturer at Vanderbilt University. He is the author ofEpistemology and the Regress Problem, coauthor of Pragmatism: A Guide for the Perplexed, and coeditor of The Pragmatic Turn.

"The editors have compiled a very fine collection of essays on the nature of logic as it relates to broad philosophical concerns. This volume should serve as a valuable tool for students to see the applicability of formal logical techniques and results. It is a useful antidote to what can-and for students often does-seem to be the insulated nature of formal logic." -David Boersema, Distinguished University Professor, Pacific University "The formal logic that we teach in our introductory classes is simple, elegant, and as this thoughtfully conceived collection reminds us, often extremely puzzling. Thinking about Logic will motivate students to reflect both on fundamental notions of basic logic and on the relationship between formal reasoning and reasoning in other contexts. Undergraduate courses will be enriched and improved by adding it to the list of required readings." -Danielle Macbeth, T. Wistar Brown Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Haverford College "Anyone who studies formal logic is bound at some point to wonder what logic is all about. Thinking about the philosophical issues as you go along can help bring logic to life. This collection of classic papers is the ideal place to begin an exploration of the philosophy of logic." -Derek Turner, Connecticut College

• Preface I. LOGIC AND KNOWLEDGE 1 What the Tortoise Said to Achilles Lewis Carroll 2 What Achilles Said to the Tortoise W. J. Rees 3 What Achilles Should Have Said to the Tortoise J. F. Thomson Questions II. LOGIC AND DEFINITION 4 The Runabout Inference-Ticket A. N. Prior 5 Roundabout the Runabout Inference-Ticket J. T. Stevenson 6 Tonk, Plonk and Plink Nuel D. Belnap Questions III. LOGIC AND INFERENCE 7 A Counterexample to Modus Ponens Vann McGee 8 Not a Counterexample to Modus Ponens E. J. Lowe 9 Assumptions and the Supposed Counterexamples to Modus Ponens D. E. Over Questions IV. LOGIC AND FREEDOM 10 'It Was to Be' Gilbert Ryle 11 Fatalism Richard Taylor 12 Time, Truth, and Ability Richard Taylor and Steven M. Cahn Questions V. LOGIC AND REALITY 13 The Justification of Deduction Susan Haack 14 The Problem of Counterfactual Conditionals Nelson Goodman 15 On What There Is Willard V. Quine Questions About the Contributors Source Credits