Modal Logics and Philosophy

The first edition, published by Acumen in 2000, became a prescribed textbook on modal logic courses. The second edition has been fully revised in response to readers' suggestions, including two new chapters on conditional logic, which was not covered in the first edition. "Modal Logics and Philosophy" is a fully comprehensive introduction to modal logics and their application suitable for course use. Unlike most modal logic textbooks, which are both forbidding mathematically and short on philosophical discussion, "Modal Logics and Philosophy" places its emphasis firmly on showing how useful modal logic can be as a tool for formal philosophical analysis. In part 1 of the book, the reader is introduced to some standard systems of modal logic and encouraged through a series of exercises to become proficient in manipulating these logics. The emphasis is on possible world semantics for modal logics and the semantic emphasis is carried into the formal method, Jeffrey-style truth-trees. Standard truth-trees are extended in a simple and transparent way to take possible worlds into account. Part 2 systematically explores the applications of modal logic to philosophical issues such as truth, time, processes, knowledge and belief, obligation and permission.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements 1. Argument and modality Part I Formal systems 2. A simple modal logic 3. The normal modal logics 4. The non-normal modal logics 5. Natural deduction and axiomatics 6. Conditional logic 7. Modal predicate logics 8. Quantifiers and existence Part II Applications 9. Alethic modality 10. Temporal logic 11. Dynamic logic 12. Epistemic logic 13. Deontic logic 14. Conditionals and reliability 15. Synthesis and worlds Answers Index

About the Author :
Rod Girle is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Review :
Reviews of first edition: "This is an excellent book. Girle not only knows logic, he also knows how it ought to be taught in ways that students find accessible. In this book, we see the fruits of Girle's efforts in teaching modal logic to advanced philosophy students. The results bear all of the marks of Girle's distinctive style. It is accessible, packed full of interesting, useful examples, and just the right amount of detail necessary to illuminate the core ideas." - Greg Restall, Australasian Journal of Philosophy Rod Girle is the best logic teacher that I know. All those who want a non-technical introduction to modal logic and its applications will now be able to benefit from his outstanding pedagogic skills.A" - Graham Priest, Graduate Center, City University of New York and University of Melbourne "Modal Logics and Philosophy has the technical precision and rigour that is sometimes sacrificed to concern with philosophical logic. A book that will stand out amongst modal logic texts." - Bernard Linsky, University of Alberta