Course Description

Logic is the study of methods for evaluating whether the premises of an argument adequately support its conclusion. This course focuses on deductive arguments, arguments in which the premises, if true, are supposed to guarantee the truth of the conclusion. This contrasts with inductive arguments, arguments in which the premises, if true, are supposed to make the truth of the conclusion probable. Once you have mastered the material in this course, you will be better able to evaluate your own arguments and those of others.

Logic is a tool that can be applied to any intellectual endeavor in which people attempt to give reasons to support conclusions, but it is especially useful in the study of philosophy, where there is a particular emphasis on the development and evaluation of arguments. In addition, logic provides the basis for both mathematics and computer science, and so the study of logic is the study of the foundations of those fields. And, finally, logic is a sub-field of philosophy that is interesting in its own right.

Mastering the material in this course should help you in all of your intellectual endeavors, but should especially help you in the study of philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. Moreover, mastering the material in this course will prepare you for the study of logic at more advanced levels. Furthermore, mastering the material in this course will help prepare you for entrance exams to graduate school.

Note: This course only covers symbolic logic. It does not cover such topics as the meaning of life, the nature of morality, the existence of God, skepticism, or the (in)compatibility of freedom and determinism. Students who are interested in such topics should take Philosophy 112, 113, or 114. Mastering the material in Philosophy 102 will certainly help you in Phil 112, 113, and 114.

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