PHI 201: Introductory LogicFall 2002Professor: Hans Halvorson Assistants in Instruction:
Prerequisites: This course has no formal prerequisites, but it does draw on quantitative reasoning skills. Course Description: An "argument" occurs whenever someone makes a claim, and attempts to back this claim up by providing evidence. Producing and evaluating arguments is a (if not "the") central feature of all intellectual endeavors — we produce arguments in order to try to convince others of our opinions, and we try to distinguish between good and bad arguments when deciding which opinions to take seriously. But what makes one argument "good" and another "bad"? This course will develop a systematic and objective answer to that question. The primary focus of this course will be on deductive arguments — those in which the premises are supposed to provide absolutely decisive evidence for the conclusion. We will see that a wide range of good deductive arguments can be reduced to a few basic patterns. We will develop formal (i.e., symbolic) methods that will allow us to recognize these patterns easily, and then to further investigate their properties. At the same time, these techniques will improve your skill and confidence in producing arguments. Course Objectives: By the end
of the course, students will be able to:
Lectures: Mon & Wed,
1:30–2:20pm; Friend Center 101. The schedule of lectures can be
found in the Syllabus — check the course website for
updates to the schedule. Lectures will assume that you have
already read the material that is the topic of the lecture. Precepts: Precepts meet one hour per week.
Precepts will be devoted to working on problems, and to discussing
philosophical issues that arise in the lecture. Your preceptor may
choose to determine part of your homework grade based on precept
participation. Precept cards will be filled out
during the first lecture, and assignments will be posted by Monday,
09.16 on the bulletin board in the Philosophy Department (1879 Hall)
and on the course website, in the "Course Information"
section. We will make every effort to assign you a precept that fits
your schedule. However, this is sometimes very difficult, and your
schedule might also change during the first couple of weeks of the
semester. So, if your original precept assignment turns out to be a
hardship, you can request a change into a different section by sending
e-mail to the Keeper of the Precept List (Jeff Kepple: jkepple@Princeton.EDU). However, the Keeper
will not enroll more than 14 students in a single precept. **If you decide
to drop the course, please notify the Keeper so that he can delete your name
from the precept list.** Precepts will begin meeting after the
lecture on Wednesday, 09.18. So, the first meeting of your precept
will be sometime between Wednesday, 09.18 at 2:30pm and Wednesday,
09.25 at 1:30pm. If you are waiting for a reply concerning a requested
precept change, then you should attend your originally assigned
precept — unless this precept conflicts with the lecture for another
course, in which case you may attend the precept you have requested to
enter. If you are still unsure of your precept assignment at the time
the first homework assignment is due, you should submit your
assignment (with an accompanying note) to the Professor. Course Website: http://blackboard.princeton.edu/courses/1/PHI201_F2002 Textbook
and Software Package: J. Barwise and J. Etchemendy,
Language, Proof and Logic. CSLI Publications/University
of Chicago Press (2002). Publisher's Webpage:
http://cslipublications.stanford.edu/site/157586374X.html You must purchase a new copy
of this book (in order to obtain a license to use the software). You
will also need to have daily access to an internet-connected computer.
The course software is available on all Princeton computer clusters;
but in order to use the Submit program, you will need to have your
book identification code. Requirements and Grades: A record of your grades is accessible
to you (and the instructors, but not to other students) from the
course website: Click on "Check Grade" in the "Student
Tools" section, or click on "My Grades" from your
Blackboard entry page. Academic
Integrity: Written examinations are conducted under the honor
system. An instructor will drop off the exam and stay to answer
questions for a few minutes, but there will be no proctor. With
regard to out-of-class work, students are expected to follow
Princeton's academic integrity policies. In this course, you are
encouraged to consult with each other concerning homework assignments.
However, the details of any solution should represent your own
work. In particular, you should never, under any circumstances, copy
another student's homework. Note: The Grade Grinder program can
detect if you submit a file created by another student. Disability Information: If you
have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an
accommodation, you should notify the Professor (as well as the
appropriate administrative offices). Grievance Procedures:
Grievance procedures are described in Princeton's handbook Rights, Rules,
Responsibilities. If you have a grievance against one of
the Assistants in Instruction, you should first attempt to resolve it
directly with him. If this fails, you should contact the Professor.
If you have a grievance against the Professor, you should first
attempt to resolve it directly with him. If this fails, you should
contact the chair of the Philosophy Department (Professor Mark
Johnston), or the office of the Dean of Faculty. |
