Timothy Cleveland
Professor of Philosophy
Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University 1986
Phone: 575-646-4444
Email:
tclevela@nmsu.edu
Fall Courses 2011
Phil. 201G M02 Introduction to Philosophy
Monday, Wednesday Friday 12:20-1:20 CRN 40535
My introduction to philosophy focuses on the importance of logic and the critical examination of our beliefs. To introduce students to philosophy we will raise a number of traditional questions and examine how some famous philosophers addressed them. What is the nature of the self? Exactly what are you anyway? Do we have free will? Must we have free will if we are to be responsible for our actions? Is free will compatible with our scientific understanding of the world? Are there reasons for believing in God? Can God’s existence be proved? Can God’s existence be disproved? What is the relation between scientific belief and religious belief? Is morality possible without God?
Phil. 312 Formal Logic
Monday/Wednesday 3:30-4:45 BD 172 CRN 40538
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 methods 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 interested in mathematics, computer science, linguistics, and anyone interested in argument or the nature of rational enquiry.
The text for this class is Jon Barwise and John Etchemendy’s, Language, Proof, and Logic (CSLI, 1999) with software packet. You must have an unused CD in order to submit homework problems. Beware of purchasing used copies online. Also see the website http://www-csli.stanford.edu/LPL/
Phil. 448 Writing Philosophy
MWF 10:30-11:20 BD 172 CRN 47400
This course is a workshop on writing philosophical essays for experienced philosophy students. Students will learn how to read and understand philosophical writing, organize a paper effectively, and present a clear and forceful argument for a thesis. The goal will be to develop and refine a philosophical essay suitable for submission to a professional journal or conference. The course will begin as a seminar on a philosophical topic—this semester it will be on the general problem of identity—around which students will write papers. Critiques of papers will be based on feedback from the instructor and peer review. Each student will be expected to present his/her work in a public forum, such as a class meeting or to the philosophy club. Each student must also submit a work to a professional journal or conference. Prerequisite: At least 18 hours of philosophy.