Trivium: Logic - Amateur Logician

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— George Wick

Logic allows you to “declare your independence.”

It strengthens your ability to evaluate arguments and theories on your own.

Logic is about good thinking, about good reasoning.
As you master the Trivium, you will become a superior thinker, arguer, and debater.

Logic is about the “general laws” of valid reasoning. It helps direct our minds to discover, ideally, what is true. This is the aim of logic. Insofar as we have true premises, logic helps us discover additional truths that “follow from” those premises.

It’s also about the “mental representations” of thought. This is the subject matter of logic. It concerns the “conceptual” order. Aristotelian-Scholastic Logic concerns itself with how we conceptually form ideas, use those ideas to form propositions, and how we use propositions in arguments.

Logic is both an “art” and a “science.” It’s an art, since it gives us practical rules about reasoning well. It’s a tool to apply. Yet it’s a science, too, since it gives us “general laws,” and explains why they are laws, of valid reasoning.

The Amateur Logician Tutorial. . .

References and Resources. . .

http://classics.mit.edu/Browse/browse-Aristotle.html

Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) was the first systematic logician. Lecture notes were gathered in The Organon, as logic is the “instrument” of the philosopher and scientist.

Aristotle’s Books on Formal Logic . . .
“The Categories” – “first act of the mind”
“On Interpretation” – “second act of the mind”
“Prior Analytics” – “third act of the mind”

Terms and definitions are covered in “The Categories.” The first four chapters introduce the general idea of a category. Chapters five to 14 are on particular categories. For instance, chapter five is on the primary category of substance. The “ten categories” are introduced here. These are categories of predication.

Sentences and propositions are covered in “On Interpretation.” There are affirmations and negations. Chapter four makes a distinction between a mere sentence and a proposition.

Deduction and syllogisms are covered in “Prior Analytics.” Chapters one to seven deal with discovering valid syllogisms and classifying the different types of syllogisms. Modal statements are also looked into. This book is about reasoning and inference.

Aristotle’s Books on Material Logic. . .
The next three books deal with informal logic. “Posterior Analytics” concerns itself with demonstrative reasoning, with necessary and certain deduction. The “Topics” covers probable conclusions. And “On Sophistical Refutations” argues against the sophists and covers informal fallacies.

The Logic Museum. It’s a handy resource and reference. Great emphasis is placed on logic as it was developed in the Middle Ages.

To quote the website: “‘Traditional Logic’ has a long history, and is much richer than implied by standard treatments of the subject…”

Sister Miriam Joseph’s The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric (1948) is an inspiration. By chance I found a copy at a local Barnes & Noble! The blending of logic and literature makes it a gem, especially for those interested in the liberal arts. You’ll learn logic while reading Shakespeare, Milton, and Homer.

Of the old Neo-Scholastic manuals, I’ve entirely devoured George H. Joyce’s Principles of Logic (1916). It’s not too long; it’s not too short. It balances philosophical speculations and considerations with the nuts-and-bolts of traditional logic. An amazing book!

An informative, though much longer, work is The Science of Logic by Peter Coffey (1938). See Volume One and Volume Two. It’s a very handy reference.

For those interested in Scholastic philosophy, Cardinal Mercier’s work should be reviewed. A Manual of Modern Scholastic Philosophy, Volume II (1917) has an excellent section on logic.

For great simplicity, there’s A Brief Textbook of Logic and Mental Philosophy by Charles Coppens (1891). Short and concise.

An exceedingly elementary book — Elements of Logic — goes back to the Spanish Thomistic philosopher Jaime Balmes (1810-1848). (He also dabbled in economic theory, and solved the “Paradox of Value.”)

Another old but good book is Elementary Lessons in Logic by the economist William Stanley Jevons (1888), who was, incidentally, part of the so-called Marginal Revolution. It’s not exactly an Aristotelian textbook, though it’s close. And it’s easier, and less philosophically minded, than Joyce’s or Coffey’s.

I’m extremely grateful to Thomas Woods and, especially, Gerard Casey for his wonderful Logic Course at Liberty Classroom. Professor Casey’s twenty lecture course, which focuses on Aristotelian logic with propositions and syllogisms, greatly profited me, and it will profit you.

(He has particularly influenced me in the pedagogy of immediate inference. You’ll see the influence on my website. Professor Casey, thank you!)

For a contemporary textbook, Patrick Hurley’s A Concise Introduction to Logic works. It’s often assigned to students. And so it’s ridiculously expensive, like most college textbooks. A new copy can easily cost nearly $200. Please use BookFinder.com to find a used copy. I happened to get my copy at a local Goodwill. Anyhow, you’ll learn a lot if you work through it.

Be aware that this isn’t an Aristotelian-Scholastic textbook. Hurley covers categorical, propositional, and predicate logic. “Categorical logic” is close to Aristotelian-Scholastic logic, although it’s not identical. Think of “categorical logic” as a simplified version.

Some have complained that Hurley’s textbook has political biases on display. Another option, perhaps more widely used in colleges, is Irving Copi’s Introduction to Logic. It’s very similar in format.

Contemporary Scholastic textbooks exist!

For example, Peter Kreeft’s Socratic Logic: A Logic Text using Socratic Method, Platonic Questions, and Aristotelian Principles. I finally picked up a copy of this. I’m glad I did! What took me so long? Dr. Kreeft has a gift to make the complex both intelligible and interesting. It’s very philosophical in its approach, like older logic textbooks in the Scholastic tradition, yet written in a contemporary and personable style. You really can’t go wrong with this opinionated textbook. Highly recommended!