Elements of Advanced Mathematics (Studies in Advanced Mathematics) Review

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(More customer reviews)I ordered this book and saved $20 compared to university pricing. It arrived in almost new condition in a very timely manner!

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Clearly written and easy to understand, The Elements of Advanced Mathematics covers logic, set theory, methods of proof, and axiomatic structures, providing an excellent grounding in analytical thinking. It facilitates the transition from elementary mathematics, generally characterized by problem-solving techniques, to advanced mathematics, characterized by theory, rigor, and proofs. This text clearly identifies and explains the components and methods of advanced mathematics. Each chapter contains exercises designed to assist the reader in understanding the material.

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Readings for Logical Analysis (Second Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)Trying to wade through the jungle of books on logical analysis is a chore. On one extreme, you have inexpensive good introductions that don't nearly cover with enough depth like Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking, which at $9 bucks is a good cursory choice, but very limited. On the other hand, you've got deep mathematical logic tomes North of $150 that have too much symbolic and Aristotelian logic and not nearly enough real world debate. The two "must haves" in the "expensive" category, are David Kelley's own The Art of Reasoning (Third Edition), which is a "must" for classes, but costs from $40 to $90 bucks depending on whether you get it new or used and Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking, 9th Edition by Browne, which after 9 editions is on the bookshelf of nearly every self respecting computer scientist, mathematician and philosopher on the planet.
The present volume is a much more "practically applied" series of articles and readings, demonstrating with wit and precision how we can fall into logical traps. Kelley's examples range from legalistic, political and everyday debate to serious social questions. However, the spirit is not dry and this book will help hone your reasoning skills in encounters ranging from relationships to debate, research and dealing with hostile street encounters. A similar competing title (to the spirit of using actual debate and reasoning examples rather than textbook analysis of induction vs. deduction, ad hominem, syllogism, premise structures, etc.) is the widely read and controversial Crimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders, by Jamie Whyte. Of the two, Kelley's is far superior. Whyte is young and arrogant, and trips over his own logic numerous times, especially in trash talking those with a spiritual frame. In contrast, Kelley's tone is not only subtle and brilliant, but has a healthy dose of humility and openness. Without that openess, logic can't make the real world transition from philosophy to negotiation.
In the more and more strident atmosphere of political debate and screaming media pundits, who associate shouting matches linearly with ratings, it is fun to read the above texts, and this one in particular, to immediately see the astonishingly low level of intelligence in these tactics. Of course, since 1/3 of US citizens can't say who the US won its independence from in the Revolutionary War (most guessing France, Germany and Japan, with a good number guessing Afghanistan!), we can't complain too much about the "loudest is the winner." But, in your own life, the speak softly and carry a big logical stick will probably be a little more peaceful. To be honest, reading this book, and especially Asking the Right Questions, opens our eyes to a new world that is sharper, more fun, less threatening and the "neural exercise" sharpens all our decisions.
Don't worry that this book seems a little "dated." The structures are as relevant for 2012 as they were over 10 years ago, and logic books being published right now still refer to this as the "lab" for their coursework. I know, OJ is old news, but the examples just give a human touch so that the subtle truths and fallacies can make a memorable impression the next time someone tries to bamboozle you! Well worth the investment.

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* 45 selections allow students to practice their logic skills on real-world arguments* Fresh Choices. This edition includes eleven new essays on topics such as the O.J. Simpson verdict, government funding for the National Endowment of the Arts, scientific method and the cure for "childbed fever," the constitutionality of capital punishment, and evolutionary theory.* Tighter rubrics. At the request of previous adopters, the editors have sharpened the volume's thematic focus by including more pieces that explicitly debate a common issue.

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Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams: Explorations in Massively Parallel Microworlds (Complex Adaptive Systems) Review

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(More customer reviews)I picked up this book while browsing the Computer Science section. The first line on the back cover drew me in: "How does a bird flock keep its movements so graceful and synchronized?" Unfortunately, this question (and others similar) was never really answered in the book. Rather than an intellectual or philosophical discussion of how organized behaviors develop from non-centrally-controlled systems in real life, the book seems to focus on why it happens in simplified computer simulations. The book is really about looking at organized behaviors from a decentralized perspective - using computer simulations to aid in this perspective. (Termite mounds, for example, aren't created by a "seed or lead" termite, they're in fact created by the behaviors common to individual termites, and the interaction of those termites with the environment, as is demonstrated in a simplified computer simulation.)
The book focuses a great deal on workings of the StarLogo programming language, which is not included but is downloadable (more on this later). The programming language allows users to simulate massively parallel systems. The book includes many code samples, programming notes and descriptions of how the simulations progress at run time. Discussions of resulting organized behaviors lie almost completely within the scope of the software simulations, but are very interesting nonetheless (although it will likely leave you wanting more). After only the first simulation (regarding slime mold), I found myself at the computer to download the software. Which brings me to my next point...
You won't find the software at the location specified by the book. It appears that the original StarLogo language was written for the Mac, and was renamed MacStarLogo. (Substitute "macstarlogo" for "~starlogo" in the URL to find the software.) When you get to the Download page, you'll be able to download the software for PC and UNIX as well as for Mac. The PC version (and version 1.1 for Mac, I assume) seems to use a newer or upgraded set of commands, so you'll have some difficulty getting the code in the book to run. The new Java-based interface, though, is very cool - it allows you to place buttons, sliders and other tools to control the simulation and dynamically interact with the program in real time. Excellent for exploring these microworlds!!!
The book also discusses a lot about the author's interactions with children while developing StarLogo programs. I found these discussions very interesting, but they seemed to focus on how we like to perceive organized behaviors as centrally controlled (versus individually controlled). As a result, much of the book was about why a non-centralized perspective is important rather than how organization is actually formed from non-centralized communities.
Overall it is a very interesting and well-organized book. Only three stars because (1) it wasn't what I expected - perhaps the subtitle would have been more descriptive as "analyzing simple computer simulations where organized behavior results from systems with no centralized control," but I guess that would have been too wordy. And, (2) the software was not easy to find, and it was not fully compatible with the code in the book. (A version of the software compatible with the code in the book shoud be made available - even if it's since been upgraded.) And finally, (3) the book seems to be rushed toward the end. (The last chapter, for example, where the author "looks ahead" is only two pages long.)
Overall, it's a great book, and it inspires a lot of thinking, but it left me wanting a bit more...

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"Mitchel Resnick's book is one of the very few in the field of computingwith an interdisciplinary discourse that can reach beyond the technicalcommunity to philsoophers, psychologists, and historians andsociologists of science." -- Sherry Turkle, Professor, Program inScience, Technology, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology"Resnick's work provides a rare glimpse of what I am sure will become anew paradigm for research in education." -- Seymour PapertHow does a bird flock keep its movements so graceful and synchronized?Most people assume that the bird in front leads and the others follow.In fact, bird flocks don't have leaders: they are organized without anorganizer, coordinated without a coordinator. And a surprising number ofother systems, from termite colonies to traffic jams to economicsystems, work the same decentralized way. Turtles, Termites, andTraffic Jams describes innovative new computational tools that canqhelp people (even young children) explore the workings of suchsystems--and help them move beyond the centralized mindset.For a copy of the StarLogo software described in this book, pleasevisit the StarLogo website.

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