Introduction to Logic Philosophy 12 ( Phil 150 @OCC, Phil 111 @ SCC) mmonge@lbcc.edu

Introduction to Logic

Sometimes people tell you things.  Often, you accept what they tell you without any question, but hopefully not always.  If you do question them, how do they respond?  They may lash out at you, or ignore you, or many other things, but if they can think critically, they will try to offer you a reason to believe what they tell you.  If so, then they have given you what is called an argument.   An argument is composed of the conclusion, the statement they are trying to get you to believe, and the reasons they give for you to believe the statement, called the premises.  Obviously, they don't always give you good reasons, sometimes what they say does not back up their conclusion.  Logic, in academics, is the science of evaluating these reasons.  The study of logic helps us determine when someone has given us a good argument.  If you like problem solving, you'll probably like this course.

What you should learn in this course:

• The terminology of logic: statements, facts, opinions, factual matters, arguments, etc.
• How to distinguish arguments from non-inferential passages.
• Identifying the parts of an argument: premises and conclusions.
• Distinguishing kinds of arguments: deductive, inductive.
• Evaluating deductive and inductive arguments.
• Using propositional logic symbolism to capture the form of hypothetical and disjunctive syllogisms.
• Using truth tables to categorize and compare statements and evaluate arguments.
• Much, much more!

It is possible to get an A in this course, but it will take hard work. In Fall of 2013 when I taught this course at Santiago Canyon College, Orange Coast College and Long Beach City College, my grade distribution was as follows:

I should note that several of the students who earned F's were students who withdrew but forgot to contact Admissions to let them know. Every class is different of course, so there is no guarantee that any particular course will follow this same grade distribution, but I expect most classes to be similar. Your grade will depend on your work, of course, but this table may give you an idea of what is typical.

The textbook I am using was written by yours truly. It is called Logic For Beginners, and it is in its second edition. I hope that you will get as much out of reading it as I obtained from writing it. Although everyone is familiar with logic at some level, this textbook, and the course, will introduce the study of logic from an academic point of view, which very few students have experienced. Prepare for a rigorous class which challenges you and expands your mind.

I hope to see you in my class!