Intermediate Logic (Canon Press)

Intermediate Logic, by James B. Nance, is the sequel to Introductory Logic and takes the student from categorical (term) logic into modern propositional and symbolic logic: truth tables, formal proofs of validity, and a short introduction to digital logic circuits. It is the second year of the classical Christian homeschool logic sequence.

Last updated: 2026-04-24 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Classical; modern propositional and symbolic logic
Worldview	Christian-Reformed (Canon Press is affiliated with the CREC / Douglas Wilson's Christ Church)
Grades	9-12 (most commonly 9th or 10th grade)
Formats	Print textbook, teacher edition, test and quiz book, video course
Cost tier	Standard
Parent intensity	3 (self-teaching possible with video; demanding for parents teaching cold)
ESA-common	No
Accredited	No
Established	1996
Website	canonpress.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	5	Genuine symbolic logic at the introductory college level, not a survey
Ease of teaching	2	Difficult subject; video course essential for most families
Content quality	5	Well-structured exposition; the digital-logic chapter is a standout
Flexibility	3	Assumes completion of Introductory Logic or equivalent categorical-logic preparation
Value for money	4	Reasonable for what it teaches; the complete bundle is the sensible buy
Worldview scope	3	Subject matter is worldview-neutral; examples and framing are Christian
Visual/design	3	Clean, text-focused; exercises and proofs set cleanly on the page
Support resources	4	Nance video course, answer key, test packet, established co-op usage

Who the publisher is

Canon Press is the publishing arm of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, founded by pastor Douglas Wilson. The press publishes books, curricula, and resources oriented toward classical Christian education, and its catalog includes the two-volume logic sequence that Introductory Logic and Intermediate Logic together comprise. Intermediate Logic was first published in 1996 and is authored by James B. Nance, who taught logic for decades at Logos School in Moscow, Idaho, the flagship classical Christian school whose pedagogy shaped the broader ACCS network.

Unlike Introductory Logic, which is co-authored with Douglas Wilson, Intermediate Logic is solely Nance's work across its editions. Nance is the more active author in the logic textbook space as of April 2026, and his teaching presence in both the textbook and the accompanying video course has become the primary reason many families stay with the Canon Press sequence into the second year rather than substituting a college-level introductory logic text. The current edition reflects substantial revision and expansion from early editions; the book now includes the digital logic circuits chapter that sets it apart from most high-school logic offerings.

The subject matter of Intermediate Logic is worldview-neutral in a strict sense: the truth table for conjunction is the same regardless of what one conjoins, and the validity rules of natural deduction hold without reference to theological commitments. As with the Introductory volume, the worldview footprint appears in examples and exercise selections rather than in the logical content itself.

The core pedagogy

Intermediate Logic covers three major content areas across its lessons. The first and largest is propositional logic, the logic of whole statements and their logical connectives (not, and, or, if-then, if-and-only-if). Students learn to translate English arguments into symbolic form, construct truth tables for complex propositions, determine the logical equivalence of compound statements, and use truth tables to test arguments for validity. This is the foundation of the course and occupies the bulk of the lessons.

The second area is formal proofs of validity. Rather than proving validity by truth table (which becomes impractical as the number of propositional variables grows), students learn a natural-deduction proof system with inference rules, modus ponens, modus tollens, disjunctive syllogism, addition, simplification, conjunction, hypothetical syllogism, constructive and destructive dilemma, and equivalence rules (De Morgan's, commutation, association, distribution, double negation, transposition, material implication, material equivalence, exportation, tautology). Students work through increasingly complex proofs, culminating in multi-step derivations that mirror the entry-level material of a college symbolic logic course.

The third area, distinctive to Canon Press, is an introduction to digital logic circuits, gates (AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR), combinations of gates, and the application of propositional logic to circuit design. This chapter bridges logical theory to computer-science foundations and is unusual in high-school logic textbooks. Students who pursue engineering or computer science in college frequently report this as the most practically useful chapter of either Canon Press logic volume.

Signature mechanics: (1) Propositional translation. Students translate English arguments into symbolic form repeatedly; this becomes reflexive by mid-year and is a transferable skill. (2) Natural deduction. The proof system is the same one students encounter in introductory college symbolic logic courses, so the course serves as real preparation. (3) Digital logic bridge. The circuits chapter connects logic to computing hardware, a distinctive feature of this text. (4) Nance video course. As with Introductory Logic, the DVD or streaming course features Nance directly teaching each lesson, which is widely regarded as the essential companion for home-taught students.

A day in the life

A tenth-grader using Intermediate Logic with the video course spends roughly four to five days per week on the subject, forty-five minutes to an hour per session. On a typical day: the student watches Nance's video lesson (15-25 minutes), reads the corresponding textbook pages (10-15 minutes), and works the exercise set (20-30 minutes). Exercises in this course frequently involve constructing truth tables or completing proofs, and both types of problem require careful attention, wrong answers are almost always the result of a traceable error earlier in the work, which is itself a useful lesson for the student.

At the end of each major unit the student takes a written test from the test and quiz packet. Tests in Intermediate Logic include constructing proofs from scratch, which is demanding; students who have done the exercise sets diligently typically handle the tests well, and students who have skipped ahead or copied answer keys typically do not. The feedback is immediate and unforgiving, which is pedagogically valuable and worth preparing the student for.

What they do exceptionally well

Genuine symbolic logic at the high-school level. Most homeschool "advanced logic" materials do not actually teach natural deduction; Intermediate Logic does. A student who completes the course can construct a valid proof from premises to conclusion using standard inference and equivalence rules, which is a genuine technical skill and rare in high-school curricula. This is the course's principal value proposition.

The digital circuits chapter. The bridge from propositional logic to digital gates is a distinctive and well-executed feature. Students who go on to computer science, electrical engineering, or related fields encounter this material again in college and typically find that the Canon Press introduction gave them a real foothold rather than a superficial exposure.

Nance's teaching craft. The video course is widely regarded as the pedagogical standout of the Canon Press logic catalog. Nance's classroom style translates to video effectively, he works problems on the board, pauses at common student errors, and models the mental moves that students need to internalize. The sustained quality across thirty-six lessons is the kind of thing that distinguishes teaching from mere content delivery.

What they do poorly

Difficult for unprepared or unready students. Intermediate Logic assumes comfort with symbolic notation, algebraic thinking, and patience for multi-step derivations. Students who finished Introductory Logic with effort but without mastery sometimes struggle badly with the propositional material, and those who reach the proof chapters without solid truth-table fluency frequently stall. The course is not a gentle continuation; it is a step-up in abstraction.

Parent-taught cold is hard. Without the video course, teaching Intermediate Logic to a student requires the parent to be comfortable with propositional logic themselves, which, for parents who did not study formal logic in college or whose exposure was decades ago, typically means learning alongside the student. This is doable but adds meaningfully to the parent's weekly load; most families either use the video or arrange the course through a co-op.

Proof exercises are unforgiving. Natural deduction does not offer partial credit well: a proof either validly derives its conclusion or it does not. Students used to softer assessment in other subjects sometimes find the transition jarring. This is a feature of formal logic rather than a defect in the textbook, but families should know that the course's feedback loop is binary in a way that other courses are not.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Intermediate Logic if: your student completed Introductory Logic successfully and is ready for a step-up in abstraction; you want high-school-level preparation for college symbolic logic or computer science foundations; you will use the Nance video course or can arrange the course through a co-op; your student is in ninth or tenth grade and ready for demanding workbook-style mathematics-adjacent thinking; you are comfortable with Canon Press as a publisher.

• Skip Intermediate Logic if: your student is not yet comfortable with symbolic notation or multi-step deductive reasoning; you want a conversational or discussion-based treatment of logic rather than a technical one; you prefer a Catholic or secular publisher for classical-curriculum components; your student is younger than ninth grade and you have not yet done Introductory Logic; you want a survey of logic rather than a full course in propositional deduction.

Cost honest assessment

The Canon Press complete Intermediate Logic package, student handbook, teacher edition, test and quiz book, and DVD course, is listed at $165.96 as a bundle on Canon Press's site as of April 2026. Individual components are available separately: the student text is in the low $30s, the teacher edition slightly higher, the test and quiz book in the low $20s, and the DVD or streaming video course in the $80-$100 range. Families typically purchase the full bundle for a first student and reuse the non-consumable components for siblings, replacing only the test packet where applicable.

Compared to Memoria Press's Material Logic (Cothran) at roughly $90 for the student book and teacher manual and more with video, or to a college-level introductory symbolic logic textbook (Hurley, Copi) at $80-$150 for the book alone, Intermediate Logic is competitive on price and, because of the video course, more accessible for home study than a college textbook without a lecturer. A realistic budget for one student completing the full bundle: $150-$180 for the course, reusable across siblings for the student workbook slots and refillable for the test packet.

ESA eligibility notes

Canon Press curriculum materials, including Intermediate Logic, are approved on several state ESA marketplaces where religious publishers are permitted. Approval varies by state and by specific product. Some states that restrict religious-content materials may exclude Canon Press titles even when the specific title (like Intermediate Logic) is academically worldview-neutral. ESA-funded families should verify eligibility within their specific state marketplace, and can typically purchase Canon Press materials through an approved third-party retailer (Rainbow Resource, Christianbook) if direct vendor reimbursement is restricted. Families reimbursing video course purchases should verify that their state program treats video curriculum as eligible instructional material rather than as entertainment or media content.

Alternatives

• Memoria Press Material Logic (Cothran), a family would choose Memoria's advanced logic text over Canon Press when they prefer Martin Cothran's explicitly classical and more explicitly Catholic-friendly framing, or when they are already inside the Memoria curriculum ecosystem.
• Patrick Hurley, A Concise Introduction to Logic, a family with a mathematically strong high-schooler might choose Hurley (or a comparable college introductory symbolic logic text) for a more expansive treatment, accepting the higher reading level and the absence of a dedicated video course.
• Art of Problem Solving Introduction to Logic (forthcoming or supplementary), a family oriented toward mathematical problem-solving might prefer logic instruction embedded in a broader mathematics sequence rather than a stand-alone classical logic course.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed Canon Press's product pages for Intermediate Logic (student handbook, teacher edition, test and quiz book, and DVD course), the James Nance video sample lessons, and the publisher's curriculum catalog at canonpress.com. We cross-referenced against Cathy Duffy Reviews and the Christianbook.com retail listings for edition and pricing verification. Prices and program details verified April 2026.