Where's the best place to start learning logic?

I really dont know... except check out the local library, book store... and certainly online, too.

Google it... I know, I hate it when people tell me "google it"... far from an answer and an easy point-gamed two-points... assuming I even care for that.

I recommend you first look up Propositional Logic, Logical Operators, Truth Tables, Consistency, Validity, Soundness, Formal Logic, Rules of Replacement, Rules of Implication, Proof, Argument, Premise, Conclusion, Prepositional Logic, Deductive Fallacies, Deductive Logic, Inductive Logic, Law of Excluded Middle, Law of Non-Contradiction, Proof by Contradiction, Conditional Proof, Informal Logic, Inductive Proof, Reductio ad absurdem, Modal Logic, Ternary Logic,... the list goes on and on. Probabilistic Logic,...

That is of course as it applies to logic itself. Then there is Rhetoric. Whole subject about how to argue, types of rhetorical fallacies...

Im a bit of a novice, myself. If you want to exchange emails or chats and help each other learn, Id be more than happy to have a partner to help me explore...

Simply put, philosophy is about considering all possibilities and the ramifications of that possibility being the reality. So, we play the game of 'process of elimination' to come as close to reality as possible without beginning the experimentation process. Therefore we must study and understand logic before we can accurately eliminate the possibilities. Its about considering every scrap of knowledge we have collectively amassed and applying it to a possible scenario to see if it fits - like a puzzle piece - and then stepping back to look at the big picture we have created by merely contemplating. Someone else will come along and use logic to remove a piece we put there, or add another one we didn't consider, based on logic. But logic isn't just the foundation of philosophy, it is the beginning of all scientific discovery. Without logic you would not have experiments. Experimentation is based on logic, and logic is used to arrive at conclusions. Logic really is the beginning of advanced thought and higher learning if the concept is applied liberally.

The best place to start is with the most accessible textbook in the field. Paul Tomassi's "Logic" (you can find at almost any college bookstore, and of course online through amazon.com) is complete in its discussion of formal logic from Aristotelian logic through the what was being discussed at universities through the 1950s (the current stuff really can't be placed succinctly in one book, and really is not that important unless you are in the field.) Also I know you said going back to a university really is not an option, but I would say that one can always go back to school. You wouldn't be a degree seeking student, but you could audit a course in logic. Hope this helps.

Though my peers, here, may disagree with me; most people are unaware that Charles Dodgson(a.k.a Lewis Carroll) was a brilliant mathematician and published one such text that in his day should be easily comprehended by a 14 year old... granted it took me a couple of years to grasp it..it is common-sensical... and has contributed to a lot of my thought here at Y!Answers amidst others....

1) Don't let the title fool you, 'Symbolic' is in the title and addresses logic's symbolic-form... but it addresses basic axioms and tenets of 'Formal' logic as well.

2) I'd suggest Lewis Carroll's: "Symbolic Logic and The Game of Logic"... to start with.

3) you should be able to find a decent used copy for around $5.00 or less @.....

To learn logic actually means to "Understand" logic. The ability to understand logic is wisdom. A person's wisdom is mostly born with it. The only way to gain more wisdom is by experience. Just walk-on with life as you gain more experience, they will turn into wisdom, and convert your memory into the best resource to understand logic.

If you want a really good book, one that's exactly what you're talking about and even about the exact question you have check out 2150 by Thea Alexander. This book WILL change your life. You'll think differently about any and everything.

logic comes from the brain...books and school isn't going to teach you the trick of logic...it's just simple reasoning that makes sense, it's not something that can really be learned it's something that we all have the ability for, we just don't always choose to use it...because logic usually hurts more then irrationality

Yes; read and learn about truth and logic from one of the very best;the late Sir karl Popper.

He was a critical logician who was and still is an excellent teacher- his explanation of (one of his heroes)bertrand Russel,another excellent writer/logician/nobel prize winner too,was of the highest order-and he knew logic/metaphysics/and the like,unlike few others before or since.

My friend, the simple way is to look critically of the discussion and have questions and answers in depth, don't worry if they are too childish but with the passage of the time they will become more mature.

this is just the matter of mind,, no university, book or theory can teach u that.

This link is one of my favorite sources.

http://www.philosophypages.com/lg/index.htm It is made simple to understand.

This one is similarly easy.

http://cas-courses.buffalo.edu/classes/psy/segal/9...

Here are two lists of fallacies, but it is not easy at all to read the name of one and apply it to bad logic. Often what appears to be one fallacy is actually another, and as you will see, there are many dozens of them.

http://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/skeptic/argumen...

http://www.iep.utm.edu/f/fallacy.htm