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A review by ranahabib
The Art of Logic in an Illogical World by Eugenia Cheng
4.0
Rating: 7.5/10, maybe an 8 (might re-read it before giving a final rating)
Cheng approaches logic from a mathematical standpoint, showing readers that with a balance of logic and emotion, we can strengthen critical thinking, communication, and relationships.
The book is split into three parts:
P1: The foundations of logic
P2: The limits of logic
P3: Beyond logic
I agree with Cheng's notion that there should be a healthy balance between logic and emotion when dealing with situations in the real world; too much of either can only limit thinking.
I really liked the use of relevant examples and diagrams to help readers understand the material better.
I found part 3 the most interesting, which explores beyond logic by analyzing concepts like intuition, emotion, equivalence, axioms, and grey areas.
Although I found most chapters interesting, at times I found Cheng's writing to be a little difficult to follow and very me-centric.
Maybe this is the fault of my own comprehension but for some chapters in part 1, I was constantly searching on Google for easier ways to explain what was being taught. Although she was teaching very basic level concepts, her explanations were really longwinded. It was almost like she took really simple concepts and made them more difficult than they had to be (ex. negations, contrapositives, converses: all really simple ideas that were made complex)
I also wasn't a fan of how me-centric Cheng's writing is. The entire book was built on her politics, ideologies, and beliefs, which is fine to a certain extent. In this case, Cheng really overdid it, which took away from the book.
Cheng approaches logic from a mathematical standpoint, showing readers that with a balance of logic and emotion, we can strengthen critical thinking, communication, and relationships.
The book is split into three parts:
P1: The foundations of logic
P2: The limits of logic
P3: Beyond logic
I agree with Cheng's notion that there should be a healthy balance between logic and emotion when dealing with situations in the real world; too much of either can only limit thinking.
I really liked the use of relevant examples and diagrams to help readers understand the material better.
I found part 3 the most interesting, which explores beyond logic by analyzing concepts like intuition, emotion, equivalence, axioms, and grey areas.
Although I found most chapters interesting, at times I found Cheng's writing to be a little difficult to follow and very me-centric.
Maybe this is the fault of my own comprehension but for some chapters in part 1, I was constantly searching on Google for easier ways to explain what was being taught. Although she was teaching very basic level concepts, her explanations were really longwinded. It was almost like she took really simple concepts and made them more difficult than they had to be (ex. negations, contrapositives, converses: all really simple ideas that were made complex)
I also wasn't a fan of how me-centric Cheng's writing is. The entire book was built on her politics, ideologies, and beliefs, which is fine to a certain extent. In this case, Cheng really overdid it, which took away from the book.