The significance of the new logic /

Translated in its entirety into English from the Portuguese for the first time, The Significance of the New Logic (Sentido da nova logica) is Willard Van Orman Quine's too-often neglected fourth book on logic and philosophy. The volume comprises materials that Quine originally wrote in Portuguese as preparation for a series of lectures he gave in 1942--as a visiting professor at the Free School of Sociology and Politics, Brazil--to introduce students to the new logic. After a helpful introductory essay by Janssen-Lauret that places this volume in its historical and philosophical context, the book begins by distinguishing between two parts of the new logic: the theory of deduction and the theory of classes. The theory of deduction is itself divided into two parts, composition theory and quantification theory, which are the subject matter of chapters 1 and 2. Chapters 3 and 4 discuss the theory of classes. The appendix includes another essay that Quine first published in Portuguese. In sum, this volume brings together works by Quine that are of great importance to those interested in the development of 20th-century Anglophone philosophy. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.--Joshua Andrew Fischel, Millersville University