Timothy Cleveland
Professor/Department Head
Fall Courses 2009
Phil. 312 Formal Logic
Tuesday/Thursday 2:35-3:50 JH 208 CRN 42801
Logic is the study of principles that distinguish good reasoning from bad. All rational inquiry presupposes these principles or laws of logic. This course introduces and explores the use of formal techniques to study the nature of logical laws and methods. The goals are two:
- Become fluent in the formal language of First-Order Logic—FOL.
- Master the notion of Logical Consequence and the related notion of Validity.
The two goals are related. Whether one sentence is a logical consequence of another depends on the structure of the sentences. The formal language of FOL allows us to represent the structure of our claims and beliefs with precision and without the ambiguity of ordinary language so that we can determine rigorously when one claim follows from another. The methods of formal logic allow us to construct clear and rigorous proofs to show that one claim is a logical consequence of another or that an argument is valid. Formalization also permits the creation of precise counterexamples that show decisively when a claim is not a logical consequence of another or when an argument is invalid. The point is not to provide students with tools they will use in everyday life but to increase greatly their understanding of the most basic mehtods of reasoning that they do use. They will also come away with a much better appreciation of the subtleties of natural language and the logical complexities hidden in ordinary discourse. Such a course is a must for philosophy students but is also suitable for those intrested in mathematics, computer science, linguistics, and anyone interested in argument or the nature of rational inquiry.
This logic course is based on Jon Bawise and John Etchemendy's Language,Proof,and Logic and its software packet. NOTE: Students must purchase an unused software CD in order to submit homework assignments. Beware of purchasing used copies of the book wiht a CD that has already been registered. There is a useful website for this book and program here.
Phil. 540 Science and Ethics
Monday 2:30-5:00 JH 207 CRN 42819
This introduction to Bioethics designed especially for graduate students addresses complex ethical issues facing researchers in the basic and applied biological sciences. Topics include research integrity and scientific misconduct, intellectual property, conflicts of interest and effort, ethical implications of genetic research and environmental research, as well as the use of animals and humans in experiments. Students will be presented with ethical problems, conflicts, and dilemmas that they can expect to face someday as working scientists. The goal is for students to acquire literacy in the ethical aspects of science, especially biology. Ethical literacy is the ability to recognize ethical problems, articulate reasoned responses to such problems, and so develop an ethical view of one's own. Rather than inculcating ethical 'truths' in students this course should cultivate ethical thinking about serious ethical issues. In the end, each student will articulate his or her own ethical manifesto.
The text for this course is Scientific Integrity, 3rd Edition by Frances Macina. A useful website that acompanies this book can be found here.