Traditonal Logic,
Book II: Advanced Formal Logic, by Martin Cothran, is a continuation
of Memoria Press' Traditional Logic, Book I. It covers
the four figures of the traditional syllogism, the three forms
of rhetorical arguments (called enthymemes), the three kinds of
hypothetical syllogisms, the four kinds of complex syllogisms,
as well as relational arguments.
The book
also includes a wealth of examples of arguments from the Bible,
Lewis Carroll, Isaac Watts, St. Augustine and Tertullian, as well
as extended case studies of famous arguments throughout history,
such as Rene Descartes' famous enthymeme: "I think, therefore,
I am"; C.S. Lewis' disjunctive syllogism proving the deity of
Christ; Plato's hypothetical argument concerning the power of
love; Christ's conjunctive syllogism: "You cannot serve both God
and mammon"; David Hume's famous dilemma stating the problem of
evil; the stoic Seneca's justification of the virtuous life; and
St. Thomas Aquinas' cosmological argument for the existence of
God.
Do you know the Latin mnemonic verse used by the Medieval schoolmen
to memorize the 19 valid argument forms? (Our monks do. We
can hear them chanting it now)
Which epistle contains Paul's argument in the form of an Aristotelian
sorites about foreknowledge and predestination?
What argument form does Shakespeare use in Troilus and Cressida
to justify social hierarchy?
What was wrong with the famous dilemma used by Caliph Omar to
justify the burning of the Alexandrian Library in 640 A.D.?
Traditional
Logic I has been such a big hit not just because of the interesting
content, but because it is so self-explanatory and easy to use.
Traditional Logic II uses the same tried and true format.
As in Book I, every chapter of Book II includes enough
exercises to ensure that the student masters the material before
moving on. And in addition to the case studies of famous arguments,
Book II has added writing assignments in each chapter to
help you integrate the study of logic with other subjects.
Yes,
our monks have scoured history and ransacked their formidible
library of manuscripts to bring you the best logic program on
the market. They have also slaved well into the night on
countless occasions in their dedication to making classical education
a practical reality for your students.
Which
reminds us. We'd better buy them some more candles or they
will soon have a new appreciation for the term, "the Dark Ages."
Syllogisms
Mnemonic
Several teachers have asked for a pronunciation guide to the William
of Shyreswood's syllogisms mnemonic in Chapter 2 of Traditional
Logic II. Martin Cothran has been kind enough to record a video
providing a pronunciation guide.
Download
Video in Windows Media Format (1,535 Kb) 5 min on 56k modem
Download Audio in MP3 Format
(364 Kb) 1:30 on 56k modem
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