Customer Reviews:
 Great Intro Book November 6, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Whether or not you're planning on getting this book for a college or university course, or if you're getting it for personal interest, Hurley makes it easy to understand. The chapters are quick and easy to read, the examples and chapter problems are interesting, up-to-date, and sometimes humorous.
Unfortunately, the CD-ROM does not work with Macintosh computers. The book is still, however, a worthy purchase.
 Few Answers to Problems! September 29, 2006
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
It would be nice if the author gave more than a smattering of answers for the problems in the book. If your instructor doesn't give these out to you in class or you didn't purchase the study guide, you are just screwed.
Edit:
*Note: Please see review on study guide. It's not worth the money. You're better off studying the CD that came with the book. Which in all fairness, while not a work of art, does help drive home the concepts.
Pretty solid... July 9, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
..although sometimes wordy, as another reviewer pointed out. Hurley's biggest problem is that he doesn't write very clearly; this is not an issue in the early going, but as one gets into predicates and the symbolism of logic, one must be very clear in how one communicates the intricacies.
I used this book when I taught a logic block of my high school philosophy class, and found the CD most helpful. For that, I'll give this 3 stars. Yay.
 I would buy the software that comes with it again, but not the book March 3, 2006
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
I teach introduction to logic at a local community college and I used this text for my class--once. I will not again. It is way overpriced, wordy, and badly structured. However, my biggest problem was that the questions the book would ask my students to answer in the homework would often (1) rely on knowledge not taught in the chapter, (2) had the wrong answer in the answer key, or (3) asked questions with many right answers but listed only one as right in the answer key.
Furthermore, the online www.ilrn.com homework was way too advanced for my students to work with. It requires long loadtimes, Java scripts, etc. The ilrn.com site also has quite a few *kinks* to work out (automatic grading is often wrong). Unless you have a class full of students with good computers, good internet connections, and some basic internet knowledge (e.g. how to install Java into their browser); the online homework will be more trouble then it's worth. If the *kinks* are worked out and ilrn.com is programed to require less of the computers (get rid of the Java!) then this has the potential to be a great service. Maybe, in the 13th or 15th edition this will be a good addition to the (otherwise crappy) book.
I will agree with another reviewer that the "CD is unnecessary." The CD covers the same material as the book, and so either the book or the CD is unnecessary. However, the book is miserable while the CD is excellent. If anything is unnecessary it is the book. The only saving grace for Hurley is the EXCELLENT CD-rom program that came along with 9th edition of his book. This is a 5-star computer program for learning logic and I would use it again in teaching my classes if the CD could be purchased seperately.
Since I also don't like the Copi and Cohen Intro to Logic text, it looks like spring quarter I am going to try using the Henry Gensler "Introduction to Logic." The software you get with the Gensler book doesn't look anywhere near as wonderful as what comes with the Hurley text, but at least the Gensler text looks like a good book.
Put in the work with this book and Aced the course October 1, 2005
4 out of 10 found this review helpful
I took Introduction to Logic and this was my only text. I believe this book is clear and concise because after reading every assigned chapter in the book and performing all the assigned exercises in the book I was able to ace this course and I've never aced a math or philosophy course before that I can remember, so I'm not exceptionally bright or insightful. I understood the material completely and I believe the book was of GREAT help in doing so. Love this book!!!!!! CD is unnecessary, in my humble opinion. I never used it.
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