Topics Logic

Question I want to start to study logic on my own to the level that I can understand a book like Enderton's and Michael Potter's Set Theory and Its Philosophy, also be able to study mathematical logic like recursive functions and model theory and Understand Logicist Reduction and why It failed because of Godel. Suppose that I've read nothing on logic and I'm not fair in math, but I want to be good at it. I'll be gleeful if you introduce me a series of books on a) Introductory books on logic followed by more professional ones, b) Mathematics of logic, c) books on Logicist Reduction and Godel or what is necessary to understand them. I have a plenty of time to study all these and will face all the troubles. Thank You Very Much Pouria From Turkish part of Iran (I think you guessed why I have to study on my own)

Accepted:
October 27, 2010

Comments

OK, so we're going to start with an introductory logic text. There are lots and lots of these, and people have very different views about what is best. But you could definitely do worse than to get a copy of our own Peter Smith's book. That has the advantage that you might then also read his book on intermediate logic, which covers Gödel's theorems, and flows naturally from the first. This book may be especially good for you, if, as I understood you to be saying, you aren't a math genius. While still remaining fairly rigorous, Peter keeps the technicalities to a minimum, so the book is accessible to more people than most such books. If you want something a little more technical, as well as wider ranging, then you might try Boolos, Burgess, and Jeffreys, Computability and Logic, which really gives a very solid introduction to basic recursion theory.

Enderton's Introduction to Mathematical Logic covers the same sort of ground, but in a much more "mathematical" way. It is often used in courses in math departments, not just in philosophy department, and is very technical. So perhaps that is not a good place to start.

If you manage to do well with some of these, write us again, or write me directly, and I'll recommend some more!

If you have difficulties actually getting or buying books, you might also look at Paul Teller's A Modern Formal Logic Primer. The book is now out of print, but Teller has made it completely available for downloading from the Web. You can find it here.