PHIL-102 Introduction to Logic
An introduction to both the practice and study of reason. Taking the essence of reason to be argument-a set of premises supporting a conclusion- the basic notions of validity, truth, soundness, strength and cogency will be studied and applied to ordinary language, culminating in a survey of what are know as informal fallacies. Two elements of formal symbolic logic will then be studied and practiced: categorical syllogism (Aristotelian and Boolean) and propositional logic (not including predicate logic). These elements have a distinctly mathematical feel; the final element of the course will return to a less formally rigorous study of inductive logic, scientific method and reason in general.