I'm no matematician, no philosopher, just found the book in a bookstore and got curious about the presentation of a 'new logic' (the little I know was from philosophy class in high school). As an amateur you are faced with formulae and notation that you have to figure out on your own, which makes it harder to read it, but I did manage to figure it out with the help of the Equation Editor in the Office Suit. Just a single page explaining the notation would have been enough to make the book self-contained, even for an amateur. The language is simple enough even for a non-native English speaker (it is typically easier reading books written by non-native speakers, since their language is less complicated). Regarding the subject, it is very, very interesting, because of the profound implications this will have--I'm sure of that--on the development of sicence, once we get a new generation of scientists who are not entrenched. It was like reading something from the future. It's been years since I read it, but I still have it in fresh memory, and the information-independent logic is the only logic I would consider using, if it came to that. When working with incomplete information, I realize that it is essential to be aware of the lack of information. And what better way to introduce the tools for handling incomplete information, than on the basic, logical level? I submit, that in a few decades, the ideas of this book will pervade software in our computers.
Author(s): Jaakko Hintikka
Series: Readings in Philosophy
Publisher: OUP
Year: 1969
Language: English
Pages: 96