The book offers an in-depth introduction to standard proposition logic and
predicate logic, introducing both model-theoretic semantics as well as
natural deduction proof systems. It also provides first introduction to
meta-logic, by discussing the soundness and completeness theorems for
proposition logic.
In addition the book also gives brief introductions to
extensions of standard logic, in the form of many-valued logics and
intensional (modal and temporal). And it introduces various forms of
pragmatics to illustrate the limitations of logical analyses of natural
language meaning.
Throughout the logical material is accompanied by
chapters that are devoted to applications of logic in the analysis of
philosophical problems and to philosophical questions that are raised by
logic itself. For this purpose, it uses both classical material (from
Frege, Russell, Strawson) as well as more contemporary contributions.
Fenrong Liu is Changjiang Distinguished Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Tsinghua University and the Amsterdam-China Chair at the University of Amsterdam. She is a co-director of the Tsinghua University–University of Amsterdam Joint Research Center for Logic, marking her role in fostering international academic collaborations.
Martin Stokhof is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), and of the Institut international de philosophie, and of the Academia Europea. He is co-founder of the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation and co-author of the Gamut two-volume textbook on logic and formal semantics and the author of World and Life as One : Ethics and ontology in Wittgenstein's early thought..
A systematic exposition of classical propositional and predicate logic, supplemented with concise introductions to many-valued logics, intensional logic (briefly covering a variety of modal logics), and pragmatics. Special features include many interesting and thought-provoking excursuses on related topics and important texts on philosophical aspects of logic, as well as study and discussion questions and suggestions for further readings.
–Valentin Goranko, Stockholm University
A new introduction to logic with a fresh format combining a systematic exposition of the technical material with excursus on a number of philosophical themes from the nature of logical constants and the normativity of logic to proof-theoretic semantics, conditionals, descriptions, truth, reference and Gricean pragmatics. The book covers besides classical logic (with natural deduction and some metalogic) also many-valued logic and intensional logic, and includes many useful exercises on the technical material and summaries (with study and discussion questions) of a well thought selection of classical and more recent philosophical texts. An excellent first encounter with logic for a philosophically-oriented audience.
–Maria Aloni, University of Amsterdam
Logic, Language and Philosophy is a terrific new addition to the crowded field of logic textbooks. What sets it apart from the rest is Liu and Stokhof’s inclusions of expert discussions of issues connected to logic from various parts of philosophy and linguistics, as well as discussions of the main authors and texts that made advances in these areas. I highly recommend this book. It is not just another introduction to logic, but something bigger and better than that.
–Thomas Hofweber, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
July 2024
