Symbolic Logic

University of Utah, Department of Philosophy, Spring 2012

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Course Schedule

We will be following our two main texts closely throughout the term. However, our pace will be determined in part by my evaluations of student progress (through homeworks, class discussions, and such). Thus, the schedule below should be thought of as tentative, subject to many many changes throughout the semester. Make sure you visit this page regularly in order to keep track of the reading and homework assignments. Below, in the right column, I list your assigned reading for the week, then supplementary material, then any homework, review sessions, exams, and the like.

 

Week 1 (Jan 10,12)

Course Introduction, Symbolic Logic as Explication, Formal Philosophy

Sider, pp. 1-11; Carnap, Logical Foundations of Probability, ch. 1 (on CANVAS)
Sider, exs. 1.1-1.3 (All HW for each week is due on Friday -- turn in by 4pm to my mailbox in CTIHB 402F)
Week 2 (Jan 17,19)

Lemmon's Proof System

Lemmon, pp. 1-27
Handout: "Lemmon's Rules of Transformation"; Harman, Change in View, chs. 1-2 (on CANVAS)
Lemmon, p. 18, ex. 1 (b,d,f,h,j,l,n); pp. 27-28, ex. 1 (a,c,f,h,i,j)
Week 3 (Jan 24,26)

NO CLASS THIS WEEK, Set Theory

Sider, pp. 12-24; Lemmon, pp. 28-33
Sider, exs. 1.4-1.5; Lemmon, p. 33, ex. 1 (all); ex. 2 (a,b)

Week 4 (Jan 31, Feb 2)

Propositional Logic: Grammar and Semantics

Sider, pp. 25-37; Lemmon, pp. 34-41
Sider, exs. 2.1-2.2; Lemmon, p. 41, ex. 1 (a,b,c,d,e)
Week 5 (Feb 7,9)

Propositional Logic: Proof Theory, Soundness
(Presentation by Blake Vernon)

Sider, pp. 37-55
Sider, exs. 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 and 2.7; Lemmon, p. 41, ex. 1 (f,g,h,i,j)
Week 6 (Feb 14,16)

Propositional Logic: Proof Theory, Completeness, Variations on PL
(Presentation by Chris Lean)

Sider, pp. 56-72, Lemmon, pp. 42-62
Sider, exs. 3.1, 3.2, and 3.4; Lemmon, pp. 62-63, exs. 1-2
Week 7 (Feb 21,23)

Deviations from PL: 3-valued Logics (Łukasiewicz and strong Kleene)

Sider, pp. 72-82
Haack, ch. 9 (sections 1 and 2) and ch. 11 (sections 1 and 2)
Sider, exs. 3.5, 3.10 (a,c,e), and 3.11; Lemmon, p. 63, exs. 3,4,5 (a-f)
Week 8 (Feb 28, Mar 1)

Deviations from PL: Supervaluations, Intuitionist Logic, Philosophical Applications
(Presentation by Arielle LaFleur)

Sider, pp. 82-89; David Lewis, "Logic for Equivocators" (on CANVAS)
Haack, ch. 9 (section 4) and ch. 11 (sections 3 and 4)
Sider, exs. 3.12, 3.13, and 3.14; Lemmon, p. 63, ex. 5 (g-l)
Week 9 (Mar 6,8)

Exam Week

TAKE-HOME MIDTERM EXAM: Due Friday Mar 9 by 4pm to my mailbox in CTIHB 402F
Week 10 (Mar 13,15) ** NO CLASS **

Spring Break

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Week 11 (Mar 20,22)

Predicate Logic: Grammar, Semantics, and Proof Theory
(Presentation by Kim Johnston)

Sider, pp. 90-109
Lemmon, ch. 3
Sider, exs. 4.2 (a,b), 4.3 (a,c,d), 4.4 (a,d), 5.1 (a)
** Optional, for extra credit: Lemmon, p. 110, ex. 2 (i.a-i.f)
Week 12 (Mar 27,29)

Predicate Logic; Modal Logic: Grammar and Semantics

Sider, pp. 133-158
Lemmon, ch. 4
Sider, exs. 6.2 (b), 6.3 (b,c)
** Optional, for extra credit: Lemmon, p. 117, exs. 1 (all) and 2 (i.a-i.c)
Week 13 (Apr 3,5)

Modal Logic: Semantics, Proof Theory
(Presentation by Graham Sorensen)

Sider, pp. 158-173
Sider, exs. 6.5 (b), 6.6 (a), 6.7 (a), 6.8 (a), 6.9 (b), 6.10 (b)
** Optional, for extra credit: Lemmon, p. 128, ex. 1 (a-e)
Week 14 (Apr 10,12)

Modal Logic: Philosophical Applications, Deontic Logic, Epistemic Logic, Tense Logic
(Presentation by Yang Liu)

Sider, pp. 173-175, 183-192; Plantinga, "The Ontological Argument" (on CANVAS)
Cresto, "A Defense of Temperate Epistemic Transparency" (on CANVAS)
Sider, exs. 7.3, 7.4, 7.6
** Optional, for extra credit: Lemmon, p. 128, ex. 1 (f-h), p. 137, ex. 1 (all)
Week 15 (Apr 17,19)

Modal Logic: Counterfactuals
(Presentation by Lucas Matthews)

Sider, pp. 199-226
McGlynn, "The Problem of True–True Counterfactuals" (on CANVAS)
Sider, exs. 8.2, 8.3 (a,d)
Week 16 (Apr 24) ** NO CLASS Apr 26 **

Exam Review

REVIEW SESSION: Tuesday Apr 24, regular class time
Week 17 (May 1)

FINALS WEEK

TAKE-HOME FINAL EXAM: Due Monday, April 30 by 4pm to my mailbox in CTIHB 402F