If A, Then B

Michael Shenefelt has a doctorate in philosophy from Columbia University and began teaching logic after having worked previously as a newspaper reporter. He is also the author of The Questions of Moral Philosophy. Heidi White has a doctorate in philosophy from the New School for Social Research and a master's degree in the history of ideas from the University of Texas at Dallas. She teaches philosophy and intellectual history and is a former U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer. Both authors teach Great Books at New York University's Liberal Studies Program.

• Preface Introduction: What Is Logic? 1. The Dawn of Logic 2. Aristotle: Greatest of the Greek Logicians 3. Aristotle's System: The Logic of Classification 4. Chrysippus and the Stoics: A World of Interlocking Structures 5. Logic Versus Antilogic: The Laws of Contradiction and Excluded Middle 6. Logical Fanatics 7. Will the Future Resemble the Past? Inductive Logic and Scientific Method 8. Rhetorical Frauds and Sophistical Ploys: Ten Classic Tricks 9. Symbolic Logic and the Digital Future 10. Faith and the Limits of Logic: The Last Unanswered Question Appendix: Further Fallacies Notes Bibliography Index

This is a fascinating story of one of our most abstract yet foundational disciplines. The result is an insightful and wonderfully readable exploration of an essential part of human rationality at work. Highly recommended. -- Lloyd Carr, Rivier University Michael Shenefelt and Heidi White's new book is a risky undertaking and, I think, a valuable one. Their aim is to rescue logic from the mathematised corner of the classroom and put it squarely at the heart of philosophy - and indeed life. The risky part is the claim that reasoning, knowledge and rationality are first and foremost matters of logic. -- Martin Cohen Times Higher Education Recommended. Choice This is a delightful book, both well written and highly informative. -- Kenneth G. Lucey Teaching Philosophy If A, Then B provides a fascinating springboard for discussing how and why logic developed in various cultures... The book provides a new resource for those interested in studying aspects of the history of mathematics and logic. -- Calvin Jongsma MAA Reviews