Logical Reasoning with Diagrams and Sentences is an innovative course which teaches the basic principles of analytical reasoning. The deductive system, implemented in the Hyperproof program, takes seriously the heterogeneity of the information that we deal with in everyday life. Hyperproof provides a platform for presenting much more than the standard fare of an introductory logic course. On the one hand, we are able to teach important topics, such as consistency, non-consequence and independence, that are traditionally consigned to advanced logic course. On the other hand, completely new issues arise naturally when working within the system, issues that are obscured when we restrict our attention to the logic of a formal language.
Unlike standard systems of logic, which deal exclusively with information presented as sentences, our system requires the combination of information expressed as sentences with information derived from diagrams. Using both representations allows students to focus on the content of reasoning tasks, rather than reasoning about the syntactic structure of sentences. The deductive system, implemented in the Hyperproof program allows us to present problems which combine sentential and graphical information, and allows us to teach a stock of logically valid rules for integrating these different types of information.
Logical Reasoning with Diagrams and Sentences (LRDS) is available as a paperless package, which may be purchased and downloaded directly from our store, or in physical form available from bookstores (brick or click), and CSLI publications.
LRDS is published by CSLI Publications and distributed by the University of Chicago Press—ISBN (Paperback): 9781575869513.
Logical Reasoning with Diagrams and Sentences includes two pieces of software: Hyperproof, a natural deduction proof environment for giving and checking formal proofs involving both diagrams and sentences, and Submit, a program that allows students to submit exercises completed using Hyperproof to the Grade Grinder, the online grading service. Grade reports are returned to the student and, if requested, to the student's instructor. Instructors do not need to use the programs themselves in order to be able to take advantage of their pedagogical value.