Logic: Grades 7 - 12
Traditional Logic Books I and II
Author: Martin Cothran
Publisher: Memoria Press
For more information or to order: www.memoriapress.com

Just to set the record straight from the very beginning, I must confess to you that prior to reviewing Traditional Logic, I had no experience at all with Latin, logic or any of the other "traditional" classical studies.  I found the Traditional Logic text challenging - in a good way - and easy to understand, for even a novice such as myself.  Traditional Logic BookI is an introduction to the study of formal logic.  There are 15 lessons, which are designed to be taught in one day through the reading of the text, with the student completing four days of exercises related to the material presented in the lesson.  Through these exercises the student has the opportunity to re-read the lesson and then write answers as they are found in the text.  They then do exercises to apply what has been learned by creating scenarios using the principles presented in the lesson.

Traditional Logic was written with homeschoolers in mind - including those that have no prior experience with the subject.  This course works well in a co-op situation.  In fact, the material is regularly used in classroom settings.  However, it is not necessary for you to find or form a class in order to use this course.  The systematic, step-by-step presentation makes it ideal for students to learn independently as a self-study course. 

An experienced teacher with a degree in philosophy, Mr. Cothran has done an excellent job of explaining the challenging subject of formal logic.  Just reading the introduction is an education in itself as the author explains the history of logic, the two main branches of logic, and some key terms that lay a foundation for subsequent lessons.  Mr. Cothran prefers introducing students to formal logic first, rather than informal logic for a variety of reasons.  One of these reasons is simply that the student benefits from the more structured and rigorous study that formal logic requires.

Traditional Logic Book I is divided into three sections: Simple Apprehension (Term), Judgement (Proposition) and Deductive Inference (Syllogism).  The book concludes with a review chapter, which covers some of the most important points introduced in the text.  Written for high school students, the author writes in his notes to teachers that it has been used with 7th and 8th graders as well.  This course is not for the faint of heart - the subject and the text are challenging.  Some may find the exercises to be a bit repetitive, however this is most likely done on purpose to further solidify the student's understanding of the material.  With about 5 pages of teaching material per lesson, the author has broken each concept into "bite size" chunks that are meaty without being overwhelming.  Each chapter is well organized with an introduction, section headings and a conclusion summarizing the lesson - which serves as a great place for the student to refer when needing a quick review.  One of the most helpful aspects of this text is the provision of wide margins where the student will find important points from each page restated.  This aids greatly in the understanding of the concepts being taught.  Although such an in-depth study as the one presented in Traditional Logic could easily become dry and tedious, the author appeals to young people with interesting examples and a personable writing style.

After the student has completed Traditional Logic Book I, they are well prepared to move on toBook II, which focuses primarily on Syllogisms, building on the material presented in Book I.  Traditional Logic Book II follows the same organized plan as Book I.  Students also have the opportunity to take what they learn in each chapter and apply that learning through various "Case Studies", including statements and excerpts such as: Rene Descartes: "I think, therefore, I am.", Plato: The Power of Love, the Bible: "You cannot serve both God and Mammon" and more.  Traditional Logic Book II is designed for High School students and definitely raises the bar of difficulty with the inclusion of the above mentioned Case Studies, the challenging text, daily exercises and the addition of writing assignments at the end of each chapter.  The author states that students with training in classical subjects such as Latin will be the best prepared for this logic program.  He also points out that, while Book 1 can easily be completed as a semester course, the difficulty of the material presented in Book II lends itself to allowing more time for completion. 

In doing this review, I did quite a bit of reading about Logic programs available to homeschoolers.  (I narrowed my research to those that teach formal logic, rather than informal or modern logic)  As I looked through some of the other resources available, Traditional Logic stood out from the rest with its clear, orderly presentation of the topic and the important student exercises that cement and clarify understanding.  As a reviewer, I get to look at lots of curricula - some are unfamiliar to me, but they do cover subjects that I have taught or been exposed to in my own educational background.  With no experience regarding the study of logic, the idea of reviewing this course was intimidating!  Due mostly to Mr. Cothran's excellent treatment of the subject and the step-by-step process by which students (including myself) are led, I found myself beginning to be comfortable with formal logic and even brave enough to consider using this course with my own children.

Though I have not had the opportunity to view it, Memoria Press also offers Traditional Logic I as a video course - bringing Mr. Cothran himself into your living room.  Now we can all benefit from having this master teacher presenting lessons to our students, complete with on-screen graphics to further clarify each topic.  

Making the grade: A
Cost: Book 1 or 2 set (text and answer key) $31.90, teaching video (VHS or DVD) $45
Value for your homeschool dollar: 10