| Unit name | Introduction to Formal Logic |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL10014 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Fujimoto |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Logic is the study of argument. Formal Logic utilizes formal methods so that we can study the properties of arguments in a more precise and rigorous manner. Logic features prominently in other disciplines and is also one of the oldest university subjects. It was studied in Aristotle's school The Lyceum, and throughout the Middle Ages it was one of the three basic liberal arts subjects. The unit studies a particular way of doing logic known as natural deduction and introduces the propositional and predicate calculi.
On completion of this course, students will:
(1) have a thorough knowledge of the key ideas in elementary logic, including deduction, validity, soundness, proof.
(2) be familiar with the propositional calculus and predicate calculus.
(3) be able to recognise the logical form of arguments and be able to translate arguments from English into the propositional calculus and predicate calculus.
(3) be able to construct tree proofs in the propositional calculus and predicate calculus.
(4) be in a position to discuss critically the limits of the propositional calculus and predicate calculus as logical languages, in particular in regard to their ability to handle vagueness and the conditional.
One lecture and one problem class per week
3hr exam to test learning outcomes 1-4.
Logic, by G. Restall, 2005, Routledge
