When, if ever, is one justified in accepting the premises of an argument? What is the proper criterion of premise acceptability? Can the criterion be theoretically or philosophically justified? This is the first book to provide a comprehensive theory of premise acceptability and it answers the questions above from an epistemological approach that the author calls common sense foundationalism. It will be eagerly sought out not just by specialists in informal logic, critical thinking, and argumentation theory but also by a broader range of philosophers and those teaching rhetoric.
Social movements have wrought dramatic changes upon American society. This raises the question: Why do some movements succeed in their endeavors while others fail? Luders answers this question by introducing an analytical framework that begins with a shift in emphasis away from the characteristics of movements toward the targets of protests and affected bystanders and why they respond as they do. This shift brings into focus how targets and other interests assess both their exposure to movement disruptions as well as the costs of conceding to movement demands. From this point, diverse outcomes stem not only from a movement's capabilities for protest but also from differences among targets and others in their vulnerability to disruption and the substance of movement goals. Applied to the civil rights movement, this approach recasts conventional accounts of the movement's outcome in local struggles and national politics and clarifies the broader logic of social change.
In the past 15 years a host of critical thinking books have appeared that teach students to find flaws in the arguments of others by learning to detect a number of informal fallacies. This book is not
Science is not a collection of facts. Science is the process by which we draw inferences from facts. Volume I of Logic and Critical Thinking in the Biomedical Sciences invites readers to linger over a collection of common observations to see what inferences can be drawn, when one applies a bit of deductive logic. If we just think about what we observe, it is often possible to discover profound biomedical insights.Volumes 1 and 2 of Logic and Critical Thinking in the Biomedical Sciences are written for biomedical scientists and college-level students engaged in any of the life sciences, including bioinformatics and related data sciences.
This book proposes an analysis of the underlying 'logic' of culture, drawing on a wide range of material not previously examined in works of this kind.
Environmental degradation is a fast-growing problem that not only threatens to erode future development and undermine economic prosperity, but also victimizes and displaces ordinary peoples and commun
Edmund Leach's book investigates the writings of 'structuralists,' and their different theories: the general incest theory and of animal sacrifice. This book is designed for the use of teaching undergraduates in anthropology, linguistics, literary studies, philosophy and related disciplines faced with structuralist argument. It provides the prolegomena necessary to understand the final chapter of Levi-Strauss's massive four-volume Mythologiques. Some prior knowledge of anthropological literature is useful but not essential. The principal ethnographic source is the Book of Leviticus; this guide should help anyone who is trying to grasp the essentials of 'seminology' - the general theory of how signs and symbols come to convey meaning. The author's core thesis is that: 'the indices in non-verbal communication systems, like the sound elements in spoken language, do not have meaning as isolates, but only as members of set'; the book's special merit is that it makes this kind of jargon comp
In this work the authors present a general theory of bureaucracy and use it to explain behaviour in large organizations and to explain what determines efficiency in both governments and business corporations. The theory uses the methods of standard neoclassical economic theory. It relies on two central principles: that members of an organization trade with one another and that they compete with one another. Authority, which is the basis for conventional theories of bureaucracy, is given a role, despite reliance on the idea of trade between bureaucracies. It is argued, however, that bureaucracies cannot operate efficiently on the basis of authority alone. Exchange between bureaucrats is hampered because promises are not enforceable. So trust and loyalty between members of bureaucratic networks play an important part. The authors find that vertical networks promote efficiency while horizontal ones impede it.
Volume 2 focuses on notes for lectures on the foundations of the mathematical sciences held by Hilbert in the period 1894-1917. They document Hilbert's first engagement with 'impossibility' proofs; hi
The work of Galileo has long been important not only as a foundation of modern physics but also as a model - and perhaps the paradigmatic model - of scientific method, and therefore as a leading examp
This modern introduction to the foundations of logic and mathematics not only takes theory into account, but also treats in some detail applications that have a substantial impact on everyday life (lo
Think outside the box with these kid-sized logic puzzles! Developing minds can benefit from activities that engage and challenge their reasoning skills. This is what every puzzle in Kids Logic Puzzles will do for you or for the 10- to 14-year-olds in your life. Among the 300+ puzzles in this book, not only will you find the classic grid-based puzzles and sudoku, but you can also try calcudoku, lasergrids, skyscrapers, campsite puzzles, and many other different kinds of logic puzzles. There's no limit to the challenges awaiting you--and there's no limit to what you can train your brain to do. And yes, there's an answer key to help you if you get stuck, but you'll have more fun if you try to solve the logic puzzles by using your deduction skills. But don't just take the Puzzle Baron's word for how much you'll enjoy this book. Buy a copy and find out for yourself!
Between good intentions and great results lies a program theory—not just a list of tasks but a vision of what needs to happen, and how. Now widely used in government and not-for-profit organizations,
This will solve your desire for endless logic puzzles!If you’ve bought any of the Puzzle Baron’s previous puzzle books―on logic puzzles, sudoku, cryptograms, number logic puzzles, acrostics, or picture puzzles―you know just what to expect from the great puzzlemaker. If this is your first time getting to know the Puzzle Baron, you’re in for an adventure.Among the 600+ puzzles in this book, not only will you find the classic grid-based puzzles and sudoku, but you can also try calcudoku, lasergrids, skyscrapers, campsite puzzles, and many other different kinds of logic puzzles. Plus, there’s an answer section for all the puzzles, which can also help with hints.If you’ve been wanting to try the myriad types of logic puzzles or if you need new challenges from the Puzzle Baron, this is the book for you!
A popular American Buddhist teacher explores the creative relationship between faith and doubt, knowing and not-knowing, and shows how an awakened life results from living from the place in between.Fa
In what may be a version of his 2011 doctoral dissertation at the University of Edinburgh, Burton analyzes Baxter's (1615-91) thought. The English Puritan theologian's work is not well known today, he
This book presents a methodology for ethical analysis applicable to not only Paul’s writings but also other New Testament texts and the Bible more generally. In doing so, it proposes new ways to
Walter Burley (c.1275-1344/45) is not as well-known as his contemporaries, Duns Scotus and William of Ockham, but says his translator, Burley was "one of the most important figures in the transformati
You can be sitting in the train working a puzzle but it can take you far away from the everyday. Before you know it you're at your stop or about to pass it. It's not like you were even in the train. I
While the weight of a structure constitutes a significant part of the cost, a minimum weight design is not necessarily the minimum cost design. Little attention in structural optimization has been pai
