Fundamentals of Reasoning

This text is intended for students in an introductory course in reasoning or informal logic and is designed to enhance reasoning skills. This book implements many examples and exercises to enhance the explanations. The exercises should be used not just to sharpen skills, but to help develop the understanding of key concepts and techniques. One of the presuppositions of this book is that we can go a long way in judging the success or failure of ordinary arguments by using our common sense and background knowledge. Very little in the way of special formal knowledge is necessary for good reasoning. What is necessary is to use the common sense and knowledge we already have in a focused, careful, and directed way. The goal of this text is to help students develop these skills.