Philosophers' Hub

Introduction to Symbolic Logic, PHI 012

Instructor: M. A. Parks (Associate Instructor)

preferred name: Max  pronouns: they/them/theirs

PhD Candidate, UCD Philosophy Department

Office Hours: Wednesdays noon-2pm on Zoom

Email 

Website 

Course Objectives:

The focus of this course will be on the system of deductive logic known as first-order propositional logic (also called sentential logic), which takes atomic propositions as the fundamental units of logical analysis. We will develop and explore the syntax and semantics of sentential logic, as well as a natural deduction proof theory.

There are a variety of reasons why one might be interested in understanding such a system. Here are several examples of such reasons: (1) first-order logic plays a central role in the subfield of linguistics known as semantics, which investigates the meanings of natural language sentences; (2) any more advanced work in logic requires a thorough understanding of the foundational concepts presented in this course; (3) first-order logic is one of the central tools used by contemporary analytic  philosophers for the investigation of the logical relations that hold between concepts; finally and perhaps most relevant to you, (4) understanding systems of deductive logic can help us differentiate good reasoning from bad reasoning, and this, in turn, can serve as an important and useful tool in adjudicating the quality of arguments and the basis for our beliefs.

Our primary concern in this course will be understanding and exploring the notion of deductive validity provided by the system; but, our study will also extend to related topics, such as the translation of English arguments into formal logic and various topics in the meta-theory of first-order sentential logic.

Not open for credit to students who have taken course 112, 113, 131, 134, or 135-I, IV.

Lectures:

On average, 3-4 video lectures will be prerecorded and uploaded by Monday each week. 

The instructor will have a Zoom meeting each Tuesday at 12:10-1:50pm to review the last week's material, and preview upcoming material, as well as to answer questions. Attendance is strongly recommended, especially for those who have questions about the content or format of the course. 

(The instructor will also have Zoom office hours on Wednesdays from 12-2pm for students who would like more one-on-one assistance.)

Please use the scheduled lecture time slot (12:10-1:50pm) on Thursdays to complete the exams in weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6. Optional (but strongly encouraged) workshops will take place on Thursdays in weeks 3 and 5. 

Sept. 06, 2021 is a University Holiday.

Textbook: 

forall x: Calgary. An Introduction to Formal Logic 

Students would benefit from completing each week's assigned reading prior to the start of the week, in order to get the most out of each lecture and exercise.

Tentative Schedule (subject to change):

Assignment submissions:

In addition to required weekly discussion board participation on canvas, students will also be required to complete the following on Carnap.io :