PHIL 110: Introduction to Logic and Reasoning
Summer Semester 2014 | Day | Burnaby
INSTRUCTOR: Jill McIntosh, WMC 5606 (jillmc@sfu.ca)
REQUIRED TEXTS
1. Logic and Philosophy: A Modern Introduction 12th edition. Alan Hausman, Howard Kahane, and Paul Tidman, Wadsworth, 2013. + CourseMate
Hardcopy + CourseMate= 9781133903307 (from the Book Store – also includes access to E-book)
E-book + CourseMate= 9781133509370 (on-line: www.nelsonbrain.com)
Students may use the 11th edition or the even the 10th edition (either of which might be available more cheaply), but they should be prepared to deal with differences in pagination, and they will not have access to CourseMate (which has on-line practice questions). A copy of the 12th edition will be in Library Reserves.
2. i>clicker* Either of i>clicker 1 or i>clicker 2. Sorry, but i>clicker Web app is not acceptable.
* As you may know, i>clickers can be used in different classes. If you already have one, don’t buy another. If you don't already have one, buy one knowing that you can use it in other courses. That said, you do not need to own the one you use, but, in order to receive credit for its use, you need one (the same one) to bring to every lecture (not shared with somebody else in the class). Once term is underway, we will discuss how to link your remote to your student computing id to receive credit for its use. Bring your clicker to lecture and use it, even if you haven’t registered it.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
“Logic takes care of itself; all we have to do is to look and see how it does it.” Ludwig Wittgenstein
We all know how to reason, and we usually do it quite well. But most of us could benefit from some careful reflection on what follows from what. That is, when do the premises of an argument logically imply the conclusion of that argument? To investigate this, we will be looking at the formal features of arguments when represented in the symbols of an appropriate “language”, and at the rules for the manipulation of those symbols to result in valid arguments. I put “language” in scare quotes because learning logical notation and rules is not like learning a natural language. There are very few symbols and rules, and they will be introduced slowly and as intuitively as possible.
We will be considering symbolizing and translating in sentential logic and predicate logic, along with proofs in sentential logic. Since sentential logic is sometimes called “propositional calculus”, let me be clear at the outset. This is not a math class, and presupposes no aptitude for math. I don’t mean to imply that the class will be easy—many will find it challenging. But patience and persistence will be rewarded as you develop the skill to think clearly, rationally, and systematically. While logic is properly regarded as a branch of philosophy, its range of application extends far beyond the bounds of any single discipline to include the practical matters of everyday life.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
- Homework assignments 10%
- Lecture participation (clickers) 10%
- First midterm 20%
- Second midterm 20%
- Final exam 40%
Prerequisites: Philosophy 110 has no prerequisites. Philosophy 110 may be applied toward the Certificate in Liberal Arts and the Q-requirement.