Module PHL2021 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2021: Symbolic Logic
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The module aims to develop your reasoning skills and provide a thorough grounding in the logical analysis of philosophical arguments. These skills are a fundamental component of the analytical philosopher’s toolkit and will allow the students to analyse a wide range of arguments from the abstract to the practical. Symbolisation and the natural deduction method facilitate a broad understanding of the forms of argument that are widely used (and misused) in academic discourse and everyday life. The translation of, sometimes vague and imprecise, natural language arguments into the precise and unambiguous languages of basic sentential and predicate logic is a powerful tool for revealing what is actually at stake in arguments. The construction of proofs in these formal languages also develops a rigour and precision in the students’ reasoning that will be invaluable in a wide range of circumstances.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. symbolise complex natural language arguments in sentential and monadic predicate logic 2. test argument validity with truth tables and interpretations 3. develop proofs in sentential logic making use of the natural deduction method |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. analyse and understand the underlying structure of arguments 5. apply an understanding of logical structure to natural language arguments 6. develop reasoning skills with the logical tools learned |
Personal and Key Skills | 7. construct and evaluate arguments 8. formulate and express ideas clearly and rigourously at different levels of abstraction |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
1 Arguments, Logical Form, Validity
2 Symbolizing Arguments in Sentential Logic
3 Syntax and Semantics for Sentential Logic
4 Testing Argument Validity: Truth-Tables and Interpretations
5 Natural Deduction (Proofs) in Sentential Logic
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
---|---|---|
22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
---|---|---|
Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 22 | 11 x 2-hour seminars |
Guided Independent Study | 33 | Assigned readings associated with each seminar |
Guided Independent Study | 10 | Preparation for class discussion |
Guided Independent Study | 25 | Preparation for Assigned Essay |
Guided Independent Study | 60 | Exam Revision and Private Study |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic reading:
Forbes, G.Modern Logic: A Text in Elementary Symbolic Logic. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Smith, P. An Introduction to Formal Logic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/