Logic: The Theory of Inquiry
by John Dewey
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1938
- Form
- Treatise
- Language
- English
- Length
- Long · 560 pp300 to 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Formidable5 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendLogic: The Theory of InquirySouthern Illinois University Press, 1991Volume 12 of The Later Works, the reliable text with editorial apparatus.
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Dewey's systematic logic, written at seventy-nine. He defines logic as the theory of inquiry, and inquiry as the controlled transformation of an indeterminate situation into a settled one. Logical forms, on this account, are not eternal structures but the forms that inquiry has found to work and has stabilised as rules. The book grounds inquiry biologically and culturally, then treats judgement, propositions, terms, mathematics, and the logic of scientific and of social inquiry, arguing throughout against both formalism and the idea that logic reports the structure of reality.
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The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Logic: The Theory of Inquiry are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.