Logic I

Logic is the branch of philosophy that deals with the rules and laws of rational thinking. Aristotle, one of the fathers of logic and philosophy as we know them today, defined humans as the only animal capable of rational thinking.  Understanding the fundamental processes of rational thinking and becoming familiar with the main types of formal logic is a key objective of this course. At the end of the course, students will be able to read the language of symbolic logic, solve problems logically, translate statements and arguments, and determine their truth-value. Students will prove validity and invalidity of arguments using specific tools such as truth tables, derivations, and truth trees. This course is both lecture-based and problem-solving based. Students are expected to work independently on translation and solution of specific problems and use a process of peer evaluation to analyze and verify proposed solutions in class.  Assessment also includes periodic written evaluations.