Introduction to Modern Logic
To review the course policies and logistics, go here.
Texts:
(Applied Ethics) Cohen, Andrew I., and Christopher Heath Wellman. 2005. Contemporary debates in applied ethics, Contemporary debates in philosophy. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
(Copi) Copi, Irving M., and Carl Cohen. 2009. Introduction to logic. 13th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
(Nolt) Nolt, J. 1997. Logics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
(UA) Sinnott-Armstrong, W., and R.J. Fogelin (2009), Understanding arguments: An introduction to informal logic. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
All required selections from these books are available here. (Password is: logic-phil180)
I.Informal reasoning
A.Basic concepts
2/14 Introductions. Syllabus. Course logistics. [PPT: Critical Thinking] [PPT: Plug for Philosophy]
2/16 Propositions & arguments: read Copi, pp. 4-9; do pp. 9-12 #3, 5, 9, 14, 15 (you will submit a hard copy, with corrections, on Friday).
2/18 Deduction, induction, & truth: read Copi, pp. 26-34; do p. 35 #1-8
2/21 Validity & counterexamples: read Nolt, pp. 6-12; do Nolt, pp. 12-13 #1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14
2/23 Read: Etzioni, A. “The Limits of Privacy” pp. 253-262 in Applied Ethics, Khalifa, Tutorial on Reconstructing Arguments.
[PPT] [Handout on Argument Reconstruction] [Handout on Etzioni]
II.Semiformal reasoning
A.Basic notation
2/25 Symbolic language & basic operators: read Copi, pp. 315-327
2/28 do Copi, pp. 327-328 (part A) #2, 8, 14, 21, 24; p. 329 (part C) # 4, 11, 24; pp. 329-331 (part D) #2, 8, 22
3/2 Conditional statements & material implication: read Copi, pp. 331-339
3/4 Class Cancelled
3/7 do Copi, p. 339-340 (part A) #2, 9, 19, 24; (part C) #2, 4, 8, 21, 22, 24
B. Truth tables
3/9 Validity & common argument forms: read Copi, pp. 346-355
3/11 Material equivalence and Validity Exercises: read Copi, pp. 357-361; do pp. 355-356 (part B) #3, 4, 9; pp. 356-357 #2, 4, 8, 9
3/14Read Friedman, “The Case for Privacy” pp. 263-275 in Applied Ethics. [Handout]
III.Formal proofs in propositional logic
3/16 Simple inference rules: read Nolt, pp. 82-89
3/18 Class Cancelled
3/21 -3/25 Spring Break
3/28 do Nolt, 4.2, #1, 5, 11, 15, 19
3/30 Class Cancelled
4/1 Class Cancelled
4/4 Hypothetical derivations: read Nolt, pp. 89-101
4/6 do Nolt, 4.3, # 1, 6, 9, 15, 20
4/8 Class Cancelled
4/11 Use the ten basic rules (Nolt p.102) and the derived rules (Nolt p.105-106) to prove the arguments in Copi & Cohen, p. 419, #17; pp. 420-421, #1-5
4/13 Semi-Formal Proofs and Criticizing Arguments
4/15 Class Cancelled
IV.Predicate Logic
A.Syntax
4/18 Midterm Due by 10AM in my mailbox (2nd Floor Twilight Hall). Any other form of delivery (including under my office door) results in a 3-point penalty.
Due in Class: Quantifiers, predicates, and names: read Nolt pp. 161-169; do Nolt pp. 169-171 # 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35
4/20 Do Copi & Cohen, p. 453, Part B, #1-10
4/22 Class Cancelled – Student Symposium
B.Inference
4/25 Existential Introduction: read Nolt, pp. 224-227
4/27 Existential Elimination: read Nolt, pp. 227-232; do Nolt, p. 227 # 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
4/29 Universal Elimination: read Nolt, pp. 233-234; do Nolt, p. 232 #2, 5, 6, 10
5/2 Universal Introduction and Quantifier Exchange Rules: read Nolt, pp. 235-240, do Nolt, p. 234 #3, 5, 9 and p. 235, Exercise 8.3.2
5/4 Review: Do Nolt, p. 240 (Exercise 8.4.2) #3, 6, 9, 12, 15
5/6 Form groups of 3 with people from your discussion section for Saturday’s assignment
5/7 By 11:59PM: write your names and 1-2 sentences describing some aspect of essay writing where you think logic can help in a shared Google document.
5/8 By 11:59PM: look at all the suggestions by your fellow students. Vote for exactly one proposal that was not written by your group. We will use these to structure the remaining classes.
5/9 Review: Do Nolt, p. 241 (Exercise 8.4.3) #1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35.
5/11 Reverse engineering in essay writing. Read: Kinds of Analytical Essays
5/13 Discussion Sections: Fallacies, Part 1: Read Sinnott-Armstrong & Fogelin, Understanding Arguments pp. 273-313
5/16 Discussion Sections: Fallacies, Part 2: Read Sinnott-Armstrong & Fogelin, Understanding Arguments pp. 314-350
5/22 Final Due in my mailbox (2nd Floor Twilight Hall) by 5PM
Texts:
(Applied Ethics) Cohen, Andrew I., and Christopher Heath Wellman. 2005. Contemporary debates in applied ethics, Contemporary debates in philosophy. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
(Copi) Copi, Irving M., and Carl Cohen. 2009. Introduction to logic. 13th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
(Nolt) Nolt, J. 1997. Logics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
(UA) Sinnott-Armstrong, W., and R.J. Fogelin (2009), Understanding arguments: An introduction to informal logic. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
All required selections from these books are available here. (Password is: logic-phil180)
I.Informal reasoning
A.Basic concepts
2/14 Introductions. Syllabus. Course logistics. [PPT: Critical Thinking] [PPT: Plug for Philosophy]
2/16 Propositions & arguments: read Copi, pp. 4-9; do pp. 9-12 #3, 5, 9, 14, 15 (you will submit a hard copy, with corrections, on Friday).
2/18 Deduction, induction, & truth: read Copi, pp. 26-34; do p. 35 #1-8
2/21 Validity & counterexamples: read Nolt, pp. 6-12; do Nolt, pp. 12-13 #1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14
2/23 Read: Etzioni, A. “The Limits of Privacy” pp. 253-262 in Applied Ethics, Khalifa, Tutorial on Reconstructing Arguments.
[PPT] [Handout on Argument Reconstruction] [Handout on Etzioni]
II.Semiformal reasoning
A.Basic notation
2/25 Symbolic language & basic operators: read Copi, pp. 315-327
2/28 do Copi, pp. 327-328 (part A) #2, 8, 14, 21, 24; p. 329 (part C) # 4, 11, 24; pp. 329-331 (part D) #2, 8, 22
3/2 Conditional statements & material implication: read Copi, pp. 331-339
3/4 Class Cancelled
3/7 do Copi, p. 339-340 (part A) #2, 9, 19, 24; (part C) #2, 4, 8, 21, 22, 24
B. Truth tables
3/9 Validity & common argument forms: read Copi, pp. 346-355
3/11 Material equivalence and Validity Exercises: read Copi, pp. 357-361; do pp. 355-356 (part B) #3, 4, 9; pp. 356-357 #2, 4, 8, 9
3/14Read Friedman, “The Case for Privacy” pp. 263-275 in Applied Ethics. [Handout]
III.Formal proofs in propositional logic
3/16 Simple inference rules: read Nolt, pp. 82-89
3/18 Class Cancelled
3/21 -3/25 Spring Break
3/28 do Nolt, 4.2, #1, 5, 11, 15, 19
3/30 Class Cancelled
4/1 Class Cancelled
4/4 Hypothetical derivations: read Nolt, pp. 89-101
4/6 do Nolt, 4.3, # 1, 6, 9, 15, 20
4/8 Class Cancelled
4/11 Use the ten basic rules (Nolt p.102) and the derived rules (Nolt p.105-106) to prove the arguments in Copi & Cohen, p. 419, #17; pp. 420-421, #1-5
4/13 Semi-Formal Proofs and Criticizing Arguments
4/15 Class Cancelled
IV.Predicate Logic
A.Syntax
4/18 Midterm Due by 10AM in my mailbox (2nd Floor Twilight Hall). Any other form of delivery (including under my office door) results in a 3-point penalty.
Due in Class: Quantifiers, predicates, and names: read Nolt pp. 161-169; do Nolt pp. 169-171 # 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35
4/20 Do Copi & Cohen, p. 453, Part B, #1-10
4/22 Class Cancelled – Student Symposium
B.Inference
4/25 Existential Introduction: read Nolt, pp. 224-227
4/27 Existential Elimination: read Nolt, pp. 227-232; do Nolt, p. 227 # 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
4/29 Universal Elimination: read Nolt, pp. 233-234; do Nolt, p. 232 #2, 5, 6, 10
5/2 Universal Introduction and Quantifier Exchange Rules: read Nolt, pp. 235-240, do Nolt, p. 234 #3, 5, 9 and p. 235, Exercise 8.3.2
5/4 Review: Do Nolt, p. 240 (Exercise 8.4.2) #3, 6, 9, 12, 15
5/6 Form groups of 3 with people from your discussion section for Saturday’s assignment
5/7 By 11:59PM: write your names and 1-2 sentences describing some aspect of essay writing where you think logic can help in a shared Google document.
5/8 By 11:59PM: look at all the suggestions by your fellow students. Vote for exactly one proposal that was not written by your group. We will use these to structure the remaining classes.
5/9 Review: Do Nolt, p. 241 (Exercise 8.4.3) #1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35.
5/11 Reverse engineering in essay writing. Read: Kinds of Analytical Essays
5/13 Discussion Sections: Fallacies, Part 1: Read Sinnott-Armstrong & Fogelin, Understanding Arguments pp. 273-313
5/16 Discussion Sections: Fallacies, Part 2: Read Sinnott-Armstrong & Fogelin, Understanding Arguments pp. 314-350
5/22 Final Due in my mailbox (2nd Floor Twilight Hall) by 5PM