[FOM] Teach Yourself Logic: A Guide

[Peter Smith]

It is depressing. Serious logic is seemingly taught less and less, at least 
in UK philosophy departments. Yet logic itself is, of course, no less 
exciting and rewarding than it ever was, and the amount of important 
formally-informed work in philosophy is if anything ever greater. It seems 
then that many beginning graduate students in philosophy will need to teach 
themselves from books, either solo or by organising study groups.

But what to read? I have just counted almost three hundred formal logic 
books of one kind or another on my own shelves -- and of course these form 
only a selection of what is out there. Philosophy students need an 
annotated Guide: so I've made a start at writing one.

You can find the first half (12pp.) at www.logicmatters.net/students/tyl/ 

I hope that some FOMers who are equally concerned about keeping logic 
education alive and well will take a look, and post any comments or 
suggestions on the site (or email me). And, of course, spread the word to 
their students.

For into, the sections so far drafted:  (1) Back to the beginning. 
(2) Getting to grips with basic first-order logic. (3) Modal logic. 
 (4) From first-order logic to model theory. (8) Arithmetic, computation 
and Gödelian incompleteness. (9) Beginning set theory.

Sections to come: (5) Classical variations: second-order, plural, free 
logic, etc. (6) Non-classical variations. (7) A little proof theory. 
(10) Continuing with set theory. (11) A little category theory. (12) 
Mathematical explorations.

-- 
Dr Peter Smith, University of Cambridge
logicmatters.net