PHIL 211

He Timatanga Kōrero mō Te Tika

Introduction to Logic

Logic is the branch of philosophy that studies and analyses arguments in general symbolic form. This course is an introduction to the field, requiring no prior background in studying philosophy or logic. You will be introduced to the use of techniques such as truth tables, truth trees, and natural deduction to test arguments for validity.

About this course

This course can be completed online. Lectures are recorded, there is a zoom tutorial option and assessment can be submitted online. The following activities require online attendance at set times: zoom tutorials, online tests.

This course is delivered primarily on campus, with online accessibility. Most students will attend on campus, however the course can be completed online if necessary. If you intend to attend mostly on campus, please enrol in the offering CRN 17249.

The topic of this course is logic, the study of reasoning. The main goal is to learn simple methods to test arguments for validity. The course introduces a system of logic known as "classical, first-order logic". You will learn how to translate English sentences and arguments into symbols and then test them using methods such as truth tables and truth trees.

Course learning objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. understand the basics of propositional and predicate logic. This includes the construction and evaluation of truth tables and truth trees, and an understanding of how these are interrelated;

2. understand the relationship between ordinary English statements and arguments and their formalisation in the language of logic;