Formal Logic Books

jrosx-91

Hey guys,

I was wondering if any of you have, or know anyone, who has read books on formal logic. Periodically, i have read in blogs of people reading books on formal logic that gave them a great understanding of logic games and logical reasoning. However, the posts i saw did not include book titles, nor did they include how boring the books may be (although that could be good prep for reading comp as well!). Any feedback is appreciated and any ideas for additional external reading for improvement is welcomed.

beemomo8

I actually think reading the LR BIBLE and watching JY's logic lessons are sufficient for you to fully grasp the understanding of formal logic for the LSAT. For the Some and most relationship topic, I found it easier to follow the Bible's technique but JY's lesson strengthened my understanding of the relationship.
I think reading a book on Formal Logic might be helpful to read before studying for the LSAT.

dustinkei

According to one of the comments in the video lessons, Introduction to Logic by Harry Gensler is supposed to be good.

retaker2014

There are multiple FL inferences that you should be intuiting through repetitive practice. I think with more and more practice, these will become more obvious to you, and automatic. I've also heard that Gensler's book is worth looking at. I might go check it out from a library later today.

In terms of reading comprehension... From my own research, the best reading for the LSAT and law school as well, is technical non-fiction. You have to get your brain fit enough to work through complex and convoluted language and reasoning, for hours at a time. Most people recommend the Economist on here. I personally have a book list of non-fiction books I want to complete before I start law school.

Along with the Economist, I would recommend reading the Sunday Book Review in the New York Times, and Nature Magazine; maybe even National Geographic. These should cover the major areas that will appear on the test, and get you used to understanding passages full of new terms that, analogous to the LSAT, challenge your mental dexterity. Of course, the aforementioned reading material will have sprinkles of law here and there.

ENTJ

Conditioning yourself to read voluminous literary works that are challenging is only one step of the challenge. The LSAT requires very specific knowledge and training when it pertains to any aspect of the exam. Reading comp is no exception. Remember to read for the following:

1. Specific references
2. Opposing viewpoints
3. Overall trend of the passage
4. Anticipate questions
For example: Alot of the passages ask for the main conclusion.
5. ENUMERATE every paragraph. This will help keep the passage straight in your mind and to speed through questions after the passage is complete.

If the vernacular is difficult, don't fret. The LSAT is a logics exam, not a memorization exam. You can usually determine what a specific word may or may not mean by the context in which it was used.

As for reading material--read more LSAT reading comp.

Hopefully this was helpful.

retaker2014

^ Oh yes, most definitely. If you haven't run out of RCs to do, there's no reason to look elsewhere.

jrosx-91

Thank you all for the feedback - for the ones of you who read Nat Geo, Economist, etc. do you outline or note take? I'd prefer getting a digital version but to note take i would need a print version. Also, if any of you are interested I've heard Sudoku is good practice for logic games - no math involved and it requires plenty of basic deductions. Over time, it can be a nice supplement and i've started playing it on my phone already throughout the day.

goegoe10

I read a lot of formal logic in college since I studied philosophy. I believe it helped me skip (or watch at high speed) some logic videos here. I wouldn't recommend formal logic books to someone who has the videos here.