An Introduction to Logic and Scientific Method by Morris F. Cohen (PDF)

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Though formal logic has in recent times been the object of radical and spirited attacks from many and diverse quarters, it continues, and will probably long continue, to be one of the most frequently given courses in colleges and universities here and abroad. Nor need this be surprising when we reflect that the most serious of the charges against formal logic, those against the syllogism, are as old as Aristotle, who seems to have been fully aware of them. But while the realm of logic seems perfectly safe against the attacks from without, there is a good deal of unhappy confusion within. Though the content of almost all logic books follows (even in many of the illustrations) the standard set by Aristotle’s Organon—terms, propositions, syllogisms and allied forms of inference, scientific method, probability and fallacies—there is a bewildering Babel of tongues as to what logic is about. The different schools, the traditional, the linguistic, the psychological, the epistemological, and the mathematical, speak different languages, and each regards the other as not really dealing with logic at all.No task is perhaps so thankless, or invites so much abuse from all quarters, as that of the mediator between hostile points of view. Nor is the traditional distrust of the peacemaker in the intellectual realm difficult to appreciate, since he so often substitutes an unclear and inconsistent amalgam for points of view which at least have the merit of a certain clarity. And yet no task is so essential, especially for the beginner, when it is undertaken with the objective of adjusting and supplementing the claims of the contending parties, and when it is accompanied by a refusal to sacrifice clarity and rigor in thought.In so far as an elementary text permits such a thing, the present text seeks to bring some order into the confusion of tongues concerning the subject matter of logic. But the resolution of the conflicts between various schools which it effects appears in the selection and presentation of material, and not in extensive polemics against any school. The book has been written with the conviction that logic is the autonomous science of the objective though formal conditions of valid inference. At the same time, its authors believe that the aridity which is (not always unjustly) attributed to the study of logic testifies to the unimaginative way logical principles have been taught and misused. The present text aims to combine sound logical doctrine with sound pedagogy, and to provide illustrative material suggestive of the rôle of logic in every department of thought. A text that would find a place for the realistic formalism of Aristotle, the scientific penetration of Peirce, the pedagogical soundness of Dewey, and the mathematical rigor of Russell—this was the ideal constantly present to the authors of this book.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐There are two things that make this text especially useful to a contemporary reader. The first is that it is among the very few texts on logic that make the explicit connection between logic and inquiry; hence, scientific method itself. This connection is a fundamental aspect of the American movements in philosophy, most specifically Pragmatism. However, works like those by John Dewey did not develop the formal aspects of logic to any significant degree, so this work creates a bridge between the general theory of inquiry, the philosophy of science, and formal logic that Dewey only glossed.The second point is the price. Thematically, this book compares quite well with Hurley’s Intro, which also makes the connections between logic, general inquiry, critical thinking, and scientific method. But much as I like Hurley’s book, it is *STAGGERINGLY* expensive. I simply cannot in conscience recomend a text that costs *WELL* over $150.00, however much I might otherwise admire its comprehensiveness. (I’ve an entire rant about the text book industry that I’ll not go into here.)The Kindle edition is very nicely put together with an active table of contents and all the other goodies one would look for. Things like the ability to search the text at any microscopic level that tickles you as well as adding as many comprehensive annotations and comments as you might like make this electronic version well worth the very reasonable price. There are some typos in the Kindle edition; the process of conversion, especially of texts with technical symbolism in them, is still not perfect. Consequently, this e-book might prove puzzling &/or difficult at places for persons trying to teach themselves the subject on their own.Per the logic parts, the authors (Cohen and Nagel) spend time on both the syllogism and the more contemporary forms of mathematical logic. They are writing post-“Principia”, so their treatment is sufficiently contemporary that any person — whether enrolled student or autodidact — will have no trouble translating symbolisms and treatments into the most “fashion forward” dealings with subjects relating to logic. The authors reject any psychologistic or relativistic approach to either logic or science, which is the only move that can even hope to make sense of either. But at the same time, the authors never lose sight of the pedagogical intentions of this book. As such, it remains an accessible and enormously viable teaching instrument, even in contemporary class rooms.(Any interested individual, with only a little discipline, could also use this as a self-teaching instrument. However, as with any self-teaching process, in the absence of a mentor or teacher the exercises do not answer themselves and any puzzles that arise in the reading would be hurdles to overcome. But this is true of any self-teaching process, so it does not stand as a criticism of the text but merely a reminder to those person’s who engage in learning on their own.)This book can easily serve as an intro to logic, and/or a bridge/supplementary text to philosophy of science for students who have already had an elementary or intro logic class. Any teacher who wishes to engage in education that takes into account the reality that students do not have unbounded resources is, I would argue, morally obligated to return to this text and consider it as a primary teaching instrument. On the other hand, any autodidact could do significantly worse than Cohen and Nagel’s brilliant intro to gain a substantive foothold in both logic, philosophy of science, and the very real connections between them.

⭐This is an excellent reprint of a classic text on logic and scientific methodology. The book is a “must have” for those interested in the differences between refutable premises, faith and the meaning of Truth in the continuing search for knowledge. No “Table of Knowledge” can be considered completely set without it.

⭐Great book, Great delivery

⭐Great

⭐The way it is written require to read it from the beginning to the end, in order. If you can do it, it’s great, but usually you need to read about one specific topic, and in that case the book is not so helpful.

⭐”To understand economics, this is the book you should read first.”- Ludwig von MisesMorris R. Cohen and Ernest Nagel set before themselves aims threefold to be striven for in the formulation of the book. First, they propose that “the present text seeks to bring some order into the confusion of tongues, concerning the subject matter of logic” to dismiss the concern of a “of the mediator between hostile points of view”, as “the traditional distrust of peacemaker in the intellectual realm difficult to appreciate, since he so often substitutes an unclear and inconsistent amalgam for points of view which at least have the merit of a certain clarity” (p. xiii). Secondly, they strive to cure the weariness often ascribed “to the study of logic [which] testifies to the unimaginative way logical principles have been taught and misused” by consolidating “sound logical doctrine with sound pedagogy” and providing “illustriative material suggestive of the role of logic in every department of thought” (p. xiv).Book I, Formal Logic, opens with a clear and undemanding elucidation of some of the principal ideas in relation to the investigation and classification of propositions, and of the connections between propositions (Chs. III and IV). Then follows, in two chapters, a straightforward and conventional (as it should be) exposition of the doctrine of the syllogism and its elaborations. Chapter VI contains an introductory treatment of Generalized or Mathematical Logic, and Chapter VII a rather more advanced but very interestingly presented discussion of The Nature of a Logical or Mathematical System. Chapter VIII introduces Probable Inference, and in this one form of the frequency theory is defended. The concluding chapter of Book I, Some Problems of Logic, is somewhat of the nature of a collection of odds and ends-the Paradox of Inference, the charge of petitio principii against the syllogism, the Laws of Thought, and the basis of logical principles in the nature of things.Book II, Applied Logic and the Scientific Method, is the Victorian mansion opulently furnished and full of interesting nooks and corners, but in which it is a little demanding to find one’s way about and preserve a sense of direction. With few preliminaries a good start is made by a discussion of the role of hypotheses in science (Ch. XII). Progress is slightly slowed, however, by a chapter on Classification and Definition (Ch. XIII). We move forward again at a brisker rate in a reasonably detailed but not too comprehensive chapter on The Methods of Experimental Inquiry (Ch. XIII).In Chapter XIV, Probability and Induction, a question is raised: What is inductive reasoning? This chapter introduces the problem of sampling and of reasoning from analysis. Chapter XV is on Measurement and Chapter XVI on Statistical Methods. There are then discussions on Probable Inference in History and Allied Inquiries (Ch. XVII), on Logic and Critical Evaluation (Ch. XVIII), and a chapter on Fallacies (Ch. XIX).Some of the analysis is very well done; more exceptionally where it shoulders to uproot the common misconceptions of beginners. This appertains in Chapter IX, in which the historical demurrals to the syllogism are treated in the section on “The Paradox of Inference”, in which Mill’s arguments are rejoindered in the section “Is the Syllogism a Petitio Pricipii?” and furthermore where the discourse on “The Laws of Thought” perhaps be summed up in a rephrasing of Russell’s expression: The extraordinary thing about Boole’s “Laws of Thought” is the reality that no person had ever thought of ruminating in that manner hitherto. It may be stated further that some denunciation of certain pragmatists is (perhaps suitably) disregarded, though Schiller on (p. 438, 457), is submitted as an enquiry for student experimentation and assessment.Its questions and exercises on each chapter at the end of the book are superb. Outstanding also is the authors’ presentation of many of their discussions with classical literary selections. The authors establish a great way a sense of conversational informality between author and reader. There is a quality precis criticism of Aristotelian logic (p. 111); a good rudimentary discourse on the “self-evidence” of axioms (p. 131); a good deliberation on the nature of probable inference (p. 157); a very good discussion on the perils and fallacies of the use of statistics, to be recommended to all statistical fiends (p. 316); a really informing discussion of various abuses to which the scientific method is susceptible (p. 382). The final chapter of the book may function as a basic introduction to the significance and function of science in modern civilization.Cohen and Nagel have assembled a work which should confer on much to a general interest in logic. A fair balance is arrived between the heed of the college student and the interests of the general reader to both of whom the work should serve to convey the authors’ admiration of “the realistic formalism of Aristotle, the scientific penetration of Pierce, the pedagogical soundness of Dewey, and the mathematical rigor of Russell” (p. iv).It is of little surprise that great economist, Ludwig von Mises, had his students study this book as a prerequisite to their study of economics. It would be wise of modern economic pedagogues to follow suit.

⭐Morris Raphael Cohen is both a marvelous thinker and a substantial danger to the innocent reader. Cohen’s Logic & Scientific Method was the textbook used for my university course of that name. After reading and studying it, I shall never be the same. Cohen’s work is permanent life-changing thinking changing. It may be unfortunate to read and absorb as, at least in my life’s experience, you can never get back out of it. There is a life changing mindset created by the careful reading and studying of Logic & Scientific Method. My own mind absorbed it and has never been the same. Looking back on Cohen’s Logic & Scientific Method, it is the single most important book I have ever read.

⭐Such was examples and fluid method adopted to explain the thought process behind reasoning and logic of scientific research

⭐I bought this as a gift and it was just perfect. The recipient said that it was a great introduction to logic and will be very useful.

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