PL 202 - Introduction to Logic

1. Apply the methods and techniques developed by logicians to the current and historical arguments. (GELO 7)
2. Articulate and understand how different cultures share the same reasoning and argumentation which leads to multicultural communication, and the preservation of culture.
3. Understand the history of logic: from the father of logic, Aristotle, to contemporary logicians such as George Boole.
4. Understand the basic concepts in logic.
5. Know how to define logic terms and meaning in ordinary language. (GELO 2)
6. Identify informal fallacies in reasoning. (GELO2)
7. Have a basic knowledge of categorical proposition and categorical syllogism, developed by Aristotle, and apply it to personal views of the world. (GELO 2)
8. Understand the propositional logic and know how to apply it to practical reasoning and argumentation. (GELO 3)
9. Understand and know how to use analogical reasoning in order to distinguish good analogy from bad analogy.
10. Create a written summary of the main ideas extracted from information gathered. (GELO 3)
11. Create and/or organize data and information into meaningful patterns in order to interpret and draw inferences from it. (GELO 7)

A. What We learn from Socrates: His Life, Method, and Death

     Part 1. Socrates at Work: The Euthyphro

     Part 2. Socrates at Work: The Apology

B. What We Learn from Aristotle:

    Part 1.  Aristotle, The Father of Logic

C. Obstacles to Critical Thinking:

    Part 1: Cognitive Biases;

    Part 2. Relativism and Skepticism

II.  BASIC CONCEPTS OF CRITICAL THINKING AND LOGIC

*Eminent Logicians: Ruth Barcan Marcus; Chrysippus 280-206 B.C.  

A. Arguments, Premises, and Conclusions 

B. Recognizing Arguments 

C. Deduction and Induction 

D. Validity, Truth, Soundness, Strength, Cogency

E. Argument Forms: Proving Invalidity 

F. Extended Arguments 

III. THINK AND WRITING CLEARLY: MEANING AND DEFINITION

*Eminent Logicians: Peter Abelard 1079-1142;

A. Language: Varieties of Meaning 

B. Words and Terms: The Intension and Extension of Terms 

C. Definitions and Their Purposes 

D. Definitional Techniques 

E. Avoiding Misuse of Words: Criteria for Lexical Definitions 

IV. CRITERIA FOR CORRECT REASONING: INFORMAL FALLACIES IN EVERY DAY LIFE

*Eminent Logicians: William of Ockham ca. 1285-1347

A. Fallacies in General: Examples from Every Day Life 

B. Fallacies of Relevance 

C. Fallacies of Weak Induction 

D. Fallacies of Presumption, Ambiguity, and Grammatical Analogy 

E. Fallacies in Ordinary Language 

V. EXPLORATIONS IN DEDUCTIVE REASONING: CATEGORICAL PROPOSITIONS AS ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE

*Eminent Logicians: Alice Ambrose 1906-2001; George Boole 1815-1864;

A. The Components of Categorical Propositions 

B. Quality, Quantity, and Distribution 

C. Venn Diagrams and the Modern Square of Opposition 

D. Conversion, Obversion, and Contraposition 

E. The Traditional Square of Opposition 

F. Venn Diagrams and The Traditional Standpoint 

G. Translating Ordinary Language Statements into Categorical Form 

VI. CATEGORICAL SYLLOGISMS: ANALYSIS OF A PARTICULAR KIND OF ARGUMENTS STARTED FROM ARISTOTLE

*Eminent Logicians: John Venn 1834-1923; Saul Kripke 1940-

A. Standard Form, Mood, and Figure 

B. Use Venn Diagrams to Judge Categorical Syllogisms

C. Use Rules and Fallacies to Judge Categorical Syllogisms

D. Making It Standard Form: Reducing the Number of Terms 

E. Translating It into Standard Form: Ordinary Language Arguments 

VII. CONTEMPORARY SYMBOLIC LOGIC: PROPOSITIONAL LOGIC

*Eminent Logicians: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz 1646-1716; Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace 1815-1852; Augustus De Morgan 1806-1871 

A. Symbolic Logic and Internet Age: How to get Reliable Information from Internet

B. Artificial Language: Symbols and Translation

C. Symbols and Truth: Truth Functional

D. Use Truth Tables for Propositions

E. Use Truth Tables for Arguments

F. Use Indirect Truth Tables for Propositions and Arguments

VIII. CRITICAL THINKING IN SCIENCE AND LIFE

A. How to Use Analogy in Legal and Moral Reasoning 

Classroom discussion: 40-50%

Showing and Discussing video or other multimedia materials: 10-20%
Mandatory Course Components:
None
Equivalent Courses:
None