Logic 3501-SZD-L
The course offers an introduction to modern logic, with its distinctive methods and applications. It is to be presented how to construct definitions and classifications, how to distinguish vague utterances from claims, justified from unwarranted beliefs, and sound from unsound arguments. Symbolic logic of propositional and predicate calculus will be studied. We also provide basic notions of set theory.
One of our objectives is to improve the students’ skills in rational reasoning by showing that language has various, often complex, functions; to this end, we concentrate on teaching how to construct definitions and classifications, how to distinguish vague utterances from claims, justified from unwarranted beliefs, and sound from unsound arguments.
Symbolic logic of propositional and predicate calculus will be studied to acquaint the student with elementary formal methods of evaluating arguments couched in natural language. This will allow us to bring into sharper focus the basic concepts of analytical and logical truth, contradiction, entailment, as well as the principles of the natural deduction systems of propositional and predicate logic. We also provide basic notions of set theory. Finally, we examine formal and informal fallacies of arguments, definitions and classifications.
List of topics:
1. Sources of knowledge. Sentences, propositions, and truth. Problems of a theory of truth. Rational and irrational beliefs. Interrogative sentences, questions and performatives. Fictional sentences. Semiotic defects of expressions.
2. Types of names and types of definitions and the conditions of their correctness. Elementary set theory and formal properties of binary relations.
3. Formal methods of evaluating arguments. Analytical and logical truth, contradiction, entailment. Validity and soundness of arguments. Some types of logical fallacies.
4. Propositional and predicate logic; validity and the formal analysis of arguments; truth-functional connectives; first steps in symbolization; truth-tables; interpretation, models, tautologies, contradictions and contingent statements; symbolizing arguments; testing for validity with semantic tableaux; non-truth-functional connectives. Referential semantics. Some notes on non-classical logics and modal logics.
Mode
Assessment criteria
Final exam (multiple-choice test). Class attendance is required and will be checked. Regular class attendance is a necessary condition for being admitted to the final written exam. The second necessary condition is writing an essay (max. 1000 words) on one of topics that will be given during 8th lecture.
Scale:
0-9: unsatisfactory
10-12: satisfactory
13: satisfactory +
14-15: good
16: good +
17-18: very good
19-20: excellent
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: