PHIL 110 Introduction to Logic and Reasoning
Fall Semester 2011 | DAY
INSTRUCTOR Jill McIntosh, WMC 5606
REQUIRED TEXT
- Logic and Philosophy: A Modern Introduction 11th edition. Alan Hausman, Howard Kahane, and Paul Tidman, Wadsworth, 2010.
Students may use the 10th edition (it might be available more cheaply), but they should be prepared to deal with differences in pagination.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
While logic is properly regarded as a branch of philosophy, it is undeniable that its range of application extends far beyond the bounds of any single discipline to include the practical matters of everyday life. After all, in ordinary discourse, “be rational” and “be logical” are almost interchangeable, and it’s a very rare circumstance when being rational or logical is considered a flaw! In fact, those who have been concerned to increase, to organize, and to use knowledge–from the early Greek philosophers to the men and women who are developing modern computer science–have called upon the resources of logic.
This course introduces some of the terminology, methods, and applications of modern logic. The material is presented as intuitively as possible, presupposing no special mathematical background or inclination. Some symbolic notation is used, but, since it is introduced gradually, students need not be intimidated by it. The symbols are easy to learn and, once grasped, greatly facilitate our study.
The course material covers three main areas: sentential logic; elementary predicate logic; and some of the connections between logic and philosophical problems in the theory of knowledge, induction, and scientific method.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
- Homework assignments–10%
- First midterm–20%
- Second midterm–30%
- Final–40%
Note: Philosophy 110 has no prerequisites. Philosophy 110 may be applied to the Q-requirement.