24.241  Logic I

       An introduction to the aims and techniques of formal logic. Logic is the science of correct argument, and our study of logic will have both theoretical and practical goals. The theoretical aim is to understand what makes a correct argument good. What is it about the structure of a correct argument that guarantees that, if the premisses are all true, the conclusion will be true as well? Our subject will be truth and proof, and the connection between them. The practical aim is to help you learn to reason better, with greater clarity and precision, so that you’ll produce good arguments and scorn bad arguments when you’re confronted with them.

         The text for the course will be a manuscript entitled Logic: The Art of Persuasion  and the Science of Truth, here on the Stellar site. It's still being tinkered with, so there will be small changes from time to time. We’ll study the topics that appear under "Materials," in the order in which they are listed. (There’s also a version of the text on OpenCourseWare, but it’s out-of-date.) Homework assignments, homework answers, announcements, and so on on will also be posted here.

         There will be weekly problems sets. In calculating grades, we’ll throw out the lowest homework score.  You are encouraged to work together on the problems, but when you sit down to write up your final answers, please do it by yourself, without looking at anyone else’s work. This is important, since the scores on the problem sets are the biggest component of your final grade.

         There will be a mandatory 3-hour final exam, which will carry the same weight as three problem sets. The test will be open book, so you can print out any parts of the text or bring any other writter materials that you think might be useful.

         If you have any questions or concerns that Jack or Vann can help you with, please let us know. Either of us will be happy to meet with you.