Logic

obligatory courses

There are no formal demands.

This course is an introduction to formal logic. It covers the following topics: informal methods of evaluating arguments; formal methods of evaluating arguments: sentential (propositional) logic, categorical logic (syllogisms), introduction to predicate logic, inductive reasoning; fallacies; paradoxes.

This course is an introduction to formal logic and formal methods in philosophy. It covers the following topics: Informal methods of evaluating arguments: sentences and propositions; the basic structure of arguments; a general method of argument analysis; truth, validity and soundness; usefulness of arguments; discussion of real-life examples of reasoning. Sentential (propositional) logic: validity and the formal analysis of arguments; truthfunctional connectives; first steps in symbolization; truth-tables; comparison of naturallanguage and logical connectives; tautologies, contradictions and contingent statements; symbolizing entire arguments; testing for validity; non-truth-functional connectives. Categorical Logic: categorical statements (universal, particular, positive, and negative), syllogisms, evaluation of syllogisms (Euler diagrams, Venn diagrams). Predicate logic: quantifiers; individual constants and individual variables; predicates and relations; first steps in symbolization. Non-deductive reasoning: induction, inductive generalizations; sources of bias (prejudice and stereotypes, slanted questions, informal judgmental heuristics); statistical syllogisms, reasoning about causes; necessary and sufficient conditions; inferences to the best explanation, arguments from analogy. Fallacies: vagueness, sorites, slippery-slope arguments; equivocation, the role of definitions; arguments ad hominem, ad ignorantiam, ad baculum, ad misericordiam, appeals to authority, straw man, red herring; circular reasoning, begging the question.

Fogelin, Robert; Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, Understanding Arguments. An

Introduction to Informal Logic, Harcourt Brace College Publishers 1997.

Forbes, Graeme, Modern Logic. A Text in Elementary Symbolic Logic, Oxford

University Press, New York - Oxford 1994.

Fisher, Alec, The Logic of Real Arguments, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

1988.

Paprzycka, Katarzyna, materials accessible online: “Logic Self-Taught: A Workbook”

Learning outcomes for students admitted before 2022/2023:

Students, after passing the course, should have elementary knowledge of the foundations of theoretical (classical sentential calculus, syllogistic logic and quantificational calculus) and practical logic (symbolizations of natural language expressions using logical apparatus, analyzing the validity of reasoning with logical tools).

Learning outcomes for students admitted in 2022/2023:

Knowledge - the graduate will be able to:

K_W01 identify the place and meaning of philosophy in relation to science, the domain specificity and methods of philosophy, philosophical logic in particular

K_W02 understand the research methods and argumentative strategies of a particular philosophical discipline and the methods of text interpretation, especially the methods of logical analysis and logical evaluation of reasoning

K_W04 understand elementary philosophical terminology in a selected foreign language, in particular logical terminology in English

Abilities - the graduate is able to:

K_U02 analyze simple philosophical arguments, identify the theses and assumptions they comprise of, determine logical and argumentative relations between statements

K_U03 identify simple argumentative strategies in oral and written statements

K_U04 expose main logical flaws and fallacies in oral and written statements

K_U09 correctly employ philosophical terminology, especially in the domain of philosophical logic

Social competences - the graduate is ready to:

K_K01 recognize their own knowledge and skills, especially in the domain of logic

K_K02 recognize the deficits in their own knowledge and skills and seek for ways of overcoming these shortcomings

K_K06 acknowledge new ideas and possibly change their stance in the light of new data and arguments

In order to pass, a student needs to collect at least 60% of points.

100% = 50 pts.

1) Final test (at the end of the semester): 40 pts. The test has an open book format. It consists of multiple-choice questions and tasks which require providing a written solution.

2) Surprise short tests: 10 pts. (three or four during the semester)

3) Attendance is obligatory. A student can miss two classes without any consequences.

Every unjustified absence above two - penalty points (-3 pts. per absence)

Bonus points for diligent attendance - no absences +3 pts. (6% pts.); one absence +2 pts. (4% pts.).

4) Active participation is not obligatory, but it will be rewarded with bonus points (up to 5 pts., so up to 10% pts.)

Points and grades:

<60% – 2

60-66% – 3

67-73% – 3,5

74–80% – 4

81-85% – 4,5

86-94% – 5

>94% – 5!