A Functional Start to Computing with Python

P.F. Strawson has been a major and influential spokesman for ordinary language philosophy throughout the late twentieth century, studying the relationship between common language and the language of formal logic. This reissue of his collection of early essays, Logico-Linguistic Papers, is published with a brand new introduction by Professor Strawson but, apart from minor corrections to the text, these classic essays remain original and intact. Logico-Linguistic Papers contains Strawson''s major essay, ''On Referring'', in which he disputed Bertrand Russell''s theory of definite descriptions, distinguishing between referring to an entity and asserting its existence. The book contains twelve essays in all, grouped by subject matter. The first five are concerned with the topic of singular reference and predication and the last three are all responses to J.L. Austin''s treatment of the topic of truth. Strawson disputes the correspondence theory of truth, maintaining that facts are what statements (when true) state. The remaining papers deal with meaning, speech acts, logical truth and Chomsky''s views on syntax.

A Functional Start to Computing with Python enables students to quickly learn computing without having to use loops, variables, and object abstractions at the start. Requiring no prior programming experience, the book draws on Python‘s flexible data types and operations as well as its capacity for defining new functions. Along with the specifics of Python, the text covers important concepts of computing, including software engineering motivation, algorithms behind syntax rules, advanced functional programming ideas, and, briefly, finite state machines.Taking a student-friendly, interactive approach to teach computing, the book addresses more difficult concepts and abstractions later in the text. The author presents ample explanations of data types, operators, and expressions. He also describes comprehensions the powerful specifications of lists and dictionaries before introducing loops and variables. This approach helps students better understand assignment syntax and iteration by giving them a mental model of sophisticated data first.Web ResourceThe book‘s supplementary website at http://functionalfirstpython.com/ provides many ancillaries, including:Interactive flashcards on Python language elementsLinks to extra support for each chapterUnit testing and programming exercisesAn interactive Python stepper toolChapter-by-chapter points Material for lectures