In response to the growing recognition of informal logic as a discipline in its own right, this collection of essays from leading contributors in the field provides the formative knowledge and historical context required to understand the development of a so far little studied subject area.

Placing the rise in teaching of applied logical reasoning and critical thinking within an historical context, this text stresses that many universities are now using this skill at an introductory level. It seeks to provide the reading required to understand the development of this subject.

'Collection of papers... concentrate almost exclusively on formal logic...... contain much that would in recent years be discussed under the heading of formal logic' Bibliographie De la Philosophie