If you are not a Christian, don't assume that this book is only of interest to "the Godly" or those who want to promote Protestant education. Watt was a conservative but scientifically enlightened preacher and his advice, particulary in part II, where he discourses elegantly on how to be an effective classroom teacher, very often rings as true in the 21st century as in the 18th, and is full of common sense suggestions for any kind of teacher, from evangelical to atheist.

Isaac Watts has left us a rich inheritance in his book The Improvment of the Mind. His approach provides excellent advice on how to obtain knowledge through all aspects of life, yet keeps the larger reality of God always in view. This book is loaded with thought-provoking gems to make us more efficient and proficient at true learning. Dr. Watts' has established a sound basis for education from early youth all the way to old age. This book is a tremendous resource for educators, parents, and anyone concerned with making solid decisions about how to teach and how to learn. I consider this work to be a blessing offered to us as the legacy of a great man of God.

I must recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their mind, learn new study techniques, the true way to study, the reason for study, etc. This is a highly enjoyable book. Written in sections, you can pick it up and start reading anywhere that you find it interesting. There is a section on raising young men and women. A very godly man wrote this, and it shows through.

Sheldon

A friend lent me her copy and within moments I knew I had to have a copy for my children. In this day and age it is sometimes hard to find something to connect those little teachable moments we have with our little ones with the things we really want them to know. I know that the minutes right before they fall asleep when prayers are said and everyone is tucked in that this book becomes a tool that I can use to savor those moments and make them really worthwhile.

Isaac Watts wrote Hymns with the assumption that theology was necessary to worship. These are not tha pat simplistic platitudes that pass for worship songs now. These hymns teach as well as entertain. The psalter alone is worth the price. All psalms written in poetical form. The Gospel of Christ was written back into the Psalms on the reasoning that they were about Christ in the first place and that to sing them as Christians we must see Christ in them.

While is true that you can't make someone believe, even in the face of insurmountable evidence, when they have already firmly chosen not to believe, in spite of the evidence, it is a sad day when someone, (for previously formed opinions?) bashes a book based on bad evidence. The reviewer who wrote "Based on 18th century axioms, since proven false" is himself making a false statement. His claim that the Bible (did he even read it?) is not infallible because it was written by liars might be a good argument had his second premise ("we can conclusively deduce that liars wrote the Bible") been true. But it is not. The Bible does not claim to be written by men, it claims to be written by men under the inspiration of God (the Holy Spirit - second person of the Trinity). There is a big difference. (Maybe not if don't believe in - or at least acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit.) But even if you don't believe in the Holy Spirit, the Bible still does not claim to be authored by men alone, as the reviewer claims. Although I do agree with his first premise ("all men tell lies") his arguement still does not show that all men lie all the time, therefore it would not follow that the men who wrote the Bible were necessarily lying at the time they were writing the Bible. Also, if we took his premise that the Bible is written by liars because all men are liars, does it not follow that we could not believe what he has written (or the authors he recommends) because they to would be liars. How then could we ever believe anything anybody ever says?
Would it not be better (and more honest) to simply say "I do not like this book because I do not believe in God"?
The reviewer has not given us any reason to reject Mr. Watts premise that the Bible "ought to be our final rule". Therefore, Mr. Watt's premise still stands. And after 2000 years of people trying to make Jesus out to be a liar, no one, ever, has been able to. Jesus claimed to be God (the book of John). The only logical conclusion is that He is. Believe it or not.

Isaac Watts' Logic and his companion volume The Improvement of the Mind are among the most extraordinary books I've ever read. The way in which Dr. Watts systematically approaches the subject of reasoning and search for the truth in common or theological matters is unique and very thought provoking. This is a book that ought to be read by many more people.

This is probably not the book to read if one is looking for an introduction to the elementary principles of logic. Not because it is lacking in substance, but rather, the 18th century syntax will probably be too difficult for the less serious reader. But, for that reader who is willing and able to find a quiet cozy spot and finds meditating on ideas for hours on end pure bliss, this book will not disappoint. It is more than merely an elementary textbook on the rules of argumenation. The first 150 pages consist of Watts laying forth a theory of metaphysics which accounts for the nature of ideas, their objects, and the role of the senses in the collection and cultivation of knowledge. I found the book to be fascinating, precisely because Watts is such a careful and deep thinker. Regardless of whether one agrees with his metaphysical presentations of the nature of ideas, one cannot help but recognize that he was truly a gifted and brilliant thinker. Though he was mistaken on a number of theological and philosophical formulations, nevertheless, he stands (to me) as a wonderful example of one who knew of the aesthetic joy of thinking as a hobby and a habit. Buy this, find a cozy and quiet spot in a neighborhood pub or coffeeshop, and endulge yourself with this sweet little book.