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Study Guide 1: Elementary Logic, P150 Semester: Spring 2006 Jeffrey Grupp, Department of History & Philosophy
Click here to go to the class syllabus
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: this study guide is updated and ready for test #1
Reading, Terms to Know:
Reading: Introduction to Critical Thinking
Terms:
the method of evidence (logic)
the method of belief (religion)
proof that majority of population tends toward the method of belief
Religion, the method of belief, and intolerance
Types of intolerance: conservative and moderate
Science and tolerance
Premises
Argument
Inference
Types of evidence: 1. logical, and 2. empirical
Argument success: positive truth value + inference
Unsuccessful arguments: inference without truth value
Non-arguments: premises that do not involve an inference (but may appear to before close examination)
In-class exercise of debunking: We will watch the first 15 minutes of a National Geographic Crop Circles documentary
Reductio Ad Absurdum (indirect proof)
Reading:
Hurley: 1.1 - 1.3
Homework Problems:
Hurley: section 1.1: 2-15 unstarred; III all; IV all.
Section: 1.2: I 1-35 unstarred, II: all; IV all; V all
Section: 1.3: I 1-18 unstarred; II all non-starred; IV all; V all (These are due on the test date [Weds])
More terms:
evidence
questioning
inference
Denotation and truth value
Why should you reject belief and follow reason and evidence?
Statement
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The specific way we define a statement in our class |
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Does not involve an inference |
Non-statements versus statements (i.e. ,statements that can and cannot be used in an argument)
What are not statements (by our definition of "statement" in this class), and/or groups of words that we cannot use in constructing arguments:
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opinions |
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sentences and words from religious texts and most mythology |
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proposals |
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most lines of poetry |
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many theoretical positions about mind and subjectivity from psychologists (especially clinical psychologists) [especially about abstract/metaphysical, unobservable issues: egos, unconsciousness, dubious causal chains, etc. ] |
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metaphysical and abstract claims from politicians (e.g., "we are seeking freedom in Iraq", "the terrorists are simply evil") |
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many non-empirical claims from historians (e.g., "Columbus was a discoverer," "Columbus discovered...", etc.)' |
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non-empirical claims from scientists (e.g., "space and time exist", "there is a Higgs field") |
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Assertions about individualism |
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questions |
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(etc.) |
Safe versus risky statements (how close is statement to experience?)
Non-inferential passages (i.e. , passages that cannot be used in an argument)
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warning |
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advice |
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belief/opinion statement |
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report [note: this is an important one] |
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loosely associated statements (poetry, religious statements, mythology, some kinds of literature, etc.) |
Good examples of scientists referring to the non-empirical: space and time
Expository passage
Illustration
loosely associated statements (loosely associated groups of words)
Explanation
Report
Conditional statement
Standard form
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why do we use standard form? |
feeling and inference
reasons
logical and empirical evidence
primitives
circularity
theory
illustrations (18)
explanations (19)
conditional statements (21)
deduction and induction (31)