Fall 2007

Freshman Seminar: Thinking About Time (Phil 54)

John T. Roberts

This course will concern some of the central philosophical problems concerning time. Do the past and future exist, or only the present? Is the flow of time a real feature of the world, or is it just an illusion created by the way we humans experience the world? Causes generally come before their effects in time; is this necessarily so, or could things be otherwise? Is time travel logically and conceptually possible?

In this course, we will examine historical and contemporary writings in which philosophers grapple with these questions and attempt to develop reasoned arguments for particular answers to them.

Philosophy is a contact sport: It gets done in the give and take of arguments, objections to those arguments, and replies to the objections. This is a seminar, rather than a lecture course, which means that active participation from the students is necessary for its success. So it is very important to come to class prepared which means having done the assigned readings, and having given some thought about whether what the authors said was correct and convincing or not. The texts for this course are not authoritative sources of information; they are the contributions of various speakers to a conversation that we are all going to be participating in, too.

This course meets Monday and Wednesday at 3:30.

Freshman Seminar: Paradoxes (Phil 55)

Keith Simmons

Philosophy 55 is a course about paradoxes. Paradoxes have been a driving force in Philosophy since the 5th Century B.C. They force us to rethink old ideas and conceptions. Aristotle famously said that Philosophy begins in wonder – and he had in mind the kind of deep puzzlement that paradoxes generate.

In this seminar, we will study a wide range of paradoxes: Zeno’s paradoxes about space, time and motion, Sorites paradoxes about vagueness (like the paradox of the heap), paradoxes of rationality (Newcomb’s paradox and the Prisoner’s dilemma), paradoxes of belief (including paradoxes of confirmation, and the surprise examination paradox), logical paradoxes (Russell’s paradox about classes and the Liar paradox about truth), and paradoxes about time travel.

As we explore these paradoxes, we will wrestle with some central philosophical questions: What is the nature of space, time and motion? Is the world a fully determinate place? What is it to act rationally? When is a belief justified? What is the nature of truth?

The paradoxes are not just important – they are fun too. They encourage us to think creatively, in new and surprising ways. In this seminar, you will be given the opportunity to tackle the paradoxes yourselves, through group discussions, oral presentations, and frequent written assignments. Philosophy is best viewed as a practice, as something that one does. By actively engaging with the paradoxes, both orally and in your written work, you will develop the intellectual skills that make philosophical progress possible.

This course meets Wednesday from 2:00-4:30.

Main Problems (Phil 101)

Ram Neta

What kind of life is a good life for a human being to lead? Is it important to be truthful, or knowledgeable, or courageous, or modest, or fair, or loving? If it is important, then why is this so? What is truthfulness? What is knowledge? What is love? This course will address these questions. We will read and discuss some writings of Plato, Descartes, Berkeley, Rousseau, Russell, Ryle, and other important philosophers.

(Course registration is initially open to first year students)

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11:00.

Main Problems: Evening (Phil 101E)

Chris Smith

What makes some things right and others wrong, and how can we tell the difference? What can we know about the world? Do we have free will?

(Course registration is initially open to first/second year students)

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday from 6:00-7:15.

Main Problems (Phil 101)

Drew Johnson

What makes some things right and others wrong, and how can we tell the difference? What can we know about the world? Do we have free will?

(Course registration is initially open to first/second year students)

This course meets Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30-1:45.

Introduction to Great Works (Phil 110)

David Landy

Are you embarrassed to have people over to your home because you’re worried that they will laugh at all the space on your bookshelf devoted to romance novels? Are you jealous of your friends who look so smart wearing glasses and dropping names like Plato and Rene Descartes? Are you fairly sure that you are wasting all the money that your parents have put into your college education? Then this is the class for you!

As its title indicates, this is an introduction to philosophy through some of the greatest works that discipline has produced. They will include selections from Plato’s Republic, Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature, and a surprise Great Work!

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30.

Making Sense of Ourselves (Phil 112)

C.D.C. Reeve

In this introductory course, we will explore the attempts made by a series of influential thinkers to understand who we are, what kind of world we live in, and how we should live our lives. As we will see, these questions are more connected than they might first appear. Authors include: Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, St. Matthew, Nietzsche, Freud, and Rand.

(Course registration is initially open to first year students)

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday at 12:00.

Philosophy of Religion (Phil 134)

Elizabeth Foreman

This course will be an introduction to the philosophy of religion through an examination of some of its main problems. In this course, we will read and discuss historical and contemporary selections by philosophers on four main topics: arguments for and against the existence of God (how/can we prove that God exists?), the nature of God (are the classic attributes of God coherent/consistent with facts about the world?), the conflict between faith and reason (can faith and reason interact in a complimentary way, or are they always in conflict?), and the problem of religious pluralism (does a plurality of religious perspectives cause problems for religious belief?).

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 2:00.

Philosophy of Religion (Phil 134)

Warren Nord

The course is structured around the question: Is it reasonable to believe in God? Of course, a lot hinges on what we mean by “reasonable” and by “God” and we will explore the possibilities. We will discuss the two major reasons for disbelief: the existence of massive evil in the world, and the alternative interpretation of reality provided by modern science. And we will discuss the major reasons for belief: religious experience; the appearance of design in nature; and the witness of Scripture. We will conclude with a discussion of different ways of understanding the nature and respective merits of faith and reason. The readings will present a wide variety of views, religious and secular; most will be by contemporary philosophers, theologians, and scientists, with a few classical readings and excerpts from Scripture.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00.

Introduction to Mathematical Logic (Phil 155)

Katrina Elliott

Introduces the theory of deductive reasoning, using a symbolic language to represent and evaluate patterns of reasoning.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00.

Introduction to Mathematical Logic (Phil 155)

David Ripley

Introduces the theory of deductive reasoning, using a symbolic language to represent and evaluate patterns of reasoning.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00.

Introduction to Ethics (Phil 160)

Mark LeBar

Moral theories attempt to put into systematic form thoughts about how to live and how to act. In this course we will look closely at moral theories from several of the foremost philoso­phers in the Western tradition. Each attempts to answer questions that are as pertinent to us, in making decisions how to live, as they were to the authors. We will try to understand just what they take those questions to be, and what answers they offer for them. We will also consider the ideas and theories in Jack London’s Sea Wolf for the application pf these ideas. Critical discussion emphasized.

(Course registration is initially open to first/second year students)

This course meets on Tuesday, and Thursday at 8:00.

Introduction to Ethics (Phil 160)

Seth Bordner

An introduction to the study of moral issues and philosophical questions concerning morality. This course explores different philosophical perspectives about right and wrong, personal character, justice, moral reasoning, and moral conflicts. Readings drawn from classic or contemporary sources. Critical discussion emphasized.

(Course registration is initially open to first year students)

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 2:00.

Introduction to Ethics (Phil 160)

Mark LeBar

Moral theories attempt to put into systematic form thoughts about how to live and how to act. In this course we will look closely at moral theories from several of the foremost philoso­phers in the Western tradition. Each attempts to answer questions that are as pertinent to us, in making decisions how to live, as they were to the authors. We will try to understand just what they take those questions to be, and what answers they offer for them. We will also consider the ideas and theories in Jack London’s Sea Wolf for the application pf these ideas. Critical discussion emphasized.

This course meets on Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00.

Introduction to Ethics (Phil 160)

Joshua Knobe

Is it morally right to kill one innocent person if one can thereby save the lives of five others? Is it wrong to end a person’s life when he or she is suffering from a debilitating terminal illness? What is the fundamental ground of our moral obligations to each other? We will be discussing these and other related questions, drawing both on historical texts and on the writings of contemporary moral philosophers.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00.

Introduction to Ethics: Honors (Phil 160H)

William Lycan

This course is an introduction to the elements of moral reasoning and deliberation: what sorts of factors should I consider in making a moral decision? We will examine some of the classic theories of moral right and wrong, such as Mill’s Utilitarianism and Kant’s Categorical Imperative. Then we shall investigate a number of controversial moral issues, applying the classic theories and also seeing what they overlook. The special topics will be chosen by the students collectively, but may well include abortion, capital punishment, or euthanasia.

Since the course is Honors level, the emphasis will be on discussion. “Lecture” material will be distributed in advance in handout form.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30.

Practical Ethics (Phil 163)

Piers Turner

This course will survey a number of core problems in applied ethics, including euthanasia, abortion, war, and world hunger. It will also grapple with the question of how to apply one’s beliefs in a pluralistic society and the problem of justifying civil disobedience. Readings will include John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty,” King’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” as well as more recent articles by Peter Singer, Judith Jarvis Thomson, James Rachels, and others, on putting ethics into practice.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00.

Practical Ethics (Phil 163)

Anabella Zagura

An introduction to applied ethics surveying a variety of moral issues. Topics may include: war, medical ethics, media ethics, sexual ethics, business ethics, racism, sexism, capital punishment, and the environment.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30.

Morality and Business (Phil 164)

Carla Saenz

An examination of business ethics and the types of ethical dilemmas people may face in business practices.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30.

Bioethics (Phil 165)

Staff

This course explores the ethical basis of issues arising in health care: e.g. patient rights, removing life support, euthanasia, abortion, use of human or animal subjects in experiments, genetic manipulation, cloning.

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00.

Bioethics (Phil 165)

Marc Baer

This course will survey a range of pressing issues in bioethics. We will cover: the sale of bodily organs, eugenics, genetic testing and genetic enhancement; stem-cell research; the obligation to forewarn and the obligation to self-protect in the context of AIDS; abortion; the right to die; and the question of health care rights. Major ethical theories will be used as a framework for discussion.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00.

Bioethics (Phil 165)

Marc Baer

This course will survey a range of pressing issues in bioethics. We will cover: the sale of bodily organs, eugenics, genetic testing and genetic enhancement; stem-cell research; the obligation to forewarn and the obligation to self-protect in the context of AIDS; abortion; the right to die; and the question of health care rights. Major ethical theories will be used as a framework for discussion.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00.

Social Ethics & Political Thought (Phil 170)

Carla Saenz

This course explores Individual rights, social responsibility, legal authority, civil authority, civil disobedience, war and peace. Readings selected from classical and contemporary writings.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30.

Social Ethics & Political Thought: Honors (Phil 170H)

Thomas Hill

A study of selections from classic works in political philosophy from Thomas Hobbes to John Rawls. Questions include: What is the source of political authority and the obligation to an obey the law? When, if ever, is revolution justified, and why? What are the requirements of justice, for example, regarding property, individual liberties, and democratic procedures? Is the idea of a social contract relevant today? Discussion will be emphasized. Class presentations, papers, and exams will be required.

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday from 11:00-12:15.

Ancient Philosophy (Phil 210)

James Lesher

Ancient Philosophy explores the emergence of philosophical thinking in ancient Greece during the 6th century BCE and its development down to the end of the classical period. The major figures studied are the Presocratic philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The goal of the course is to become acquainted with the main features of ancient Greek thought and with the ways in which ancient ideas helped to shape the philosophy, science, art, and literature of later centuries.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00.

20th Century Philosophy (Phil 229)

Alan Nelson

We begin by seeing how modern logic altered metaphysics and epistemology. This trend began at the turn of the 20th century in the Logical Atomism of Russell and Wittgenstein. It continued through mid-century in the movement known as Logical Positivism. We continue by reading Ayer as an exponent of positivism and Austin as a negative reaction to it. We conclude with Camus’s novel, -The Plague-, as a base from which to explore Existentialism.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00.

Experience & Reality (Phil 230)

Eric Mandelbaum

An introduction to metaphysics, exploring issues such as the nature of persons, our experience of things, the mind-body relation, appearance vs. reality, space and time, the character of the external world. Is your mind different from your brain? Is time travel possible? What are cause and effect? What makes you today and yesterday the same person?

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30.

Experience & Reality (Phil 230)

Felipe De Brigard

This class is intended to be an introduction to two central disciplines in philosophy: metaphysics and epistemology. Roughly speaking, metaphysics deals with questions having to do with what there is—what the ultimate nature of reality is. Epistemology has to do with how we come to know about it. However, since these two disciplines are vastly large, we will focus instead on one particular kind of stuff: the mind. What the mind is and how do we come to know about it will be the two main (metaphysical and epistemological) questions we will study in this class. We will pay special attention to the role of memory both as a part of the mind, and also as a necessary component of our capacity to know about our own mind and the minds of others.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00am.

Experience & Reality (Phil 230)

Dylan Sabo

In this class we’ll consider the question of how scientific investigation might inform philosophical speculation about the nature of the mind. The nature of minds and the mind’s place in nature is a subject of long-standing philosophical concern. Yet this is also a subject on which, in the last century, the resources of scientific investigation have been brought to bear: both in psychology, which is explicitly conceived as the scientific study of minds, and in that emerging interdisciplinary coalition of academic fields known as cognitive science. We’ll ask what these research programs have to teach us about the mind. To do so, we’ll look at the major models that have been proposed for a scientific understanding of the mind: digital computers, neural networks, and the brain itself. We’ll conclude by reexamining the traditional divide between the mind and the world, and raising the question of whether the mind might extend beyond the skin.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30pm.

Ethics of Peace, War, and Defense (Phil 272)

Bernard Boxill

The course will introduce students to some of the moral issues of war and peace. For example: Can war ever be morally justified? Can pacifism be morally justified? Can terrorism ever be morally justified? Can intervention ever be morally justified? Is there a moral duty to seek peace? Is the idea of a national interest a moral notion? What is Just War Theory, and what are its moral presuppositions? What are the moral rights of prisoners of war? Can it ever be morally justified to target civilians in war? Who has the moral and legal right to declare war? What are causes of war? What are the moral presuppositions of Realism and Liberalism in international affairs? Do the moral presuppositions of functioning democracies help to explain their alleged tendency not to fight one another? What are the ethical responsibilities of multinational corporations? What is the relation between global distributive justice and peace?

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday at 12:00.

Social and Economic Justice (Phil 273)

Michael Moehler

This course provides an introduction to the major theories of justice of the Western philosophical tradition, such as utilitarianism, liberalism, egalitarianism, and libertarianism. The most prominent figures that we will discuss are Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, John Rawls, Ronald Dworkin, Amartya Sen, and Robert Nozick. The main questions that we will address in this course are: What is the nature of (social and economic) justice? What does justice require of us? Why be just? What is the relation between justice and self-interest?

After a close analysis of the major theories of justice, we will discuss some of their practical implications. In particular, we will deal with the feasibility of a just society, the conception of a universal basic income, and the justification of the state and its scope. We will assess arguments for and against the minimal state, and a possible defense of the welfare state.

The final part of the course will deal with the debate on global justice. Traditionally, theories of justice have considered the territorial state as the relevant context for justice. But what is the appropriate framework for justice in an interdependent, pluralistic, and global world? What does justice require of us on the international level? In order to find at least some tentative answers to these questions, we will discuss David Miller’s nationalist position, as well as Charles Beitz’s, Peter Singer’s, and Thomas

Pogge’s cosmopolitan views.

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1:00.

Philosophy Issues: Feminism (Phil 275)

Emily Given

This course will be an examination of several philosophical arguments used in, and underlying, the movement of feminism. As a political movement, feminism sprung from the idea that we need to examine (i) what differences sex and gender /do/ make to women’s opportunities, power, material conditions, and self-conceptions, and (ii) what differences they /should/ make. In order to address these two guiding questions, we will look at several others along the way: What are sex and gender? What is oppression? Are feminism and multiculturalism compatible? Should we pursue same sex marriage rights? By reading and writing about the work of contemporary feminist philosophers, you will develop the conceptual and theoretical skills needed to think critically about these questions and others.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30.

Morality and Law (Phil 280)

Clair Morrissey

In this course we will explore the relationship between law and justice. This exploration will be guided by two questions: when (if ever) can we use the law to enforce morality? and, are we morally justified in punishing those who break the law? The first half of the course will be devoted to issues about state authority and what we, as a society, can legitimately criminalize. Particular issues addressed during this unit will be: birth control, abortion, sodomy laws, surrogacy and organ sales, free speech and hate speech. The second half of the course will be devoted to exploring different philosophical theories of punishment. Theories addressed during this unit will be: retribution, deterrence and rehabilitation. Finally, we will end the course by looking at the emerging restorative justice movement as manifested in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30.

Philosophy of Cognitive Science (Phil 353)

Jesse Prinz

Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of the mind. In encompasses psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, computer science, philosophy, and anthropology. In this course, we will look at questions that arise in these fields: Can computers think? Is the human mind a computer? Is language innate? Does language affect thought? Does culture affect thought? Do we perceive as much as we think we do? Are we as free as we think we are? Are we rational? How rational in moral judgment? What are emotions? How is conscious experience related to the brain? Why do we dream?

This course will meet on Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30.

Honors Seminar: Self-Knowledge (HNRS 354)

Dorit Bar-On

We ordinarily assume that people have privileged knowledge of their own present states of mind. (So, if I say: ‘I have a headache” or “I wish the rain would stop” then, assuming I’m sincere, my audience will not presume to challenge or correct what I say.) But if, as modern science suggests, our minds are nothing more than our brains and central nervous system, it becomes difficult to see how we could have such special knowledge. In this course, we will examine whether our commonsense belief in privileged self-knowledge is challenged by contemporary scientific findings about the mind.

This course meets on Thursday from 9:30-12:00.

Topics of Mathematical Logic: The foundations of mathematics (Phil 356)

Keith Simmons

Philosophy 356 is a second course in logic. I will assume that you are familiar with sentential logic, though I will provide a brief review. The course has four parts:

(1) The full quantification theory.

(2) Identity theory.

(3) Metatheory. In this part of the course, we will take sentential logic, and make it the object of our study. We will prove some fundamental results about truth functional logic. We will show that truth-functional logic is sound and complete. We will also prove the compactness theorem for truth functional logic, and show that truth functional logic is decidable.

(4) Modal logic. Modal logic is the logic of necessity and possibility, and we will study it in a precise way, building on our familiar truth functional logic to obtain a formal modal logic. We will examine different modal systems, such as K, T, D, B, S4 and S5.

This course will meet on Monday and Wednesday from 9:30-10:45.

Contemporary Ethical Theories (Phil 362)

Thomas Hill

An examination of 20th century ethical theories, selected for their historical and philosophical significance. We will consider both “meta-ethical” questions (e.g. about justification and the meaning of ethical terms) and questions of “normative” moral theory (e.g. about whether consequences determine the rightness of acts). Discussion will important, and there will be required papers and exams. This course is intended primarily for juniors and seniors with some background in introductory philosophy courses.

This course will meet on Monday from 4:00-6:30.

Introduction to Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Phil 384)

Michael Moehler

This interdisciplinary gateway course provides an introduction to subjects and quantitative techniques used to analyze problems in philosophy, political science, and economics. This course explores a number of issues at the intersection of philosophy, political theory and economic theory.

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday from 4:25-5:40.

Liberty and Equality (Phil 390)

Bernard Boxill

Our project in this course is to explore the meanings of freedom, of slavery, and of race and racism, and to examine the relations between them. Some of these relations will be logical, as for example, the relations between some ideas of freedom and some ideas of slavery, and others will be contingent, as for example, the relations between either freedom or slavery and racism. Whatever the relations I expect that we will find the topics of freedom, slavery, and racism hang together as a whole. We’ll begin with the idea of freedom by reading Isaiah Berlin’s essay “Two Concepts of Liberty,” and then move to see how the ideas of negative and positive freedom that he distinguished are worked out in some classical and contemporary writers like Aristotle, Locke, and Mill. This will lead us to take up a third distinct conception of liberty that certain contemporary writers find in the Republican tradition and that they label “Republican Freedom.” The idea of slavery will have been broached in these writings but we’ll begin our formal examination of the topic with Orlando Patterson’s argument that freedom as an ideal arose of slavery. Starting with Aristotle we’ll then examine several philosophical and legal discussions. Our main text for the racism section will be my anthology Race and Racism but this will be supplemented with contemporary essays from philosophical journals.

This course will meet on Wednesday from 2:00-4:30.

Directed Readings (Phil 396)

John T. Roberts

This course will meet on Tuesday from 6:00-8:30.

Directed Readings: Ethics Bowl (Phil 396)

Jan Boxill

The Ethics Bowl provides students with a unique opportunity to practice applying the moral theories and argumentation principles that they learn in their ethics classes. They receive about 15 case studies in advance involving ethical issues in a number of practical contexts, including engineering, law, medicine, personal relationships, school and politics, both nationally and internationally. During the course the students will prepare these cases for National Ethics Bowl Competition. Questions may concern ethical problems on wide ranging topics, such as the classroom (e.g. cheating or plagiarism), personal relationships (e.g. dating or friendship), professional ethics (e.g. engineering, law, medicine), or social and political ethics (e.g. free speech, gun control, etc.) or global issues (e.g. the impact of globalization, global warming, the environment). The team sent to the Ethics Bowl competition will be selected from those registered in the course. Before the actual competition, a mock Ethics Bowl will be presented to the public and also to local high schools as part of the Philosophy Departments outreach program.

This course will meet on Tuesday from 6:00-8:30.

Plato (Phil 412)

C.D.C. Reeve

The focus of the course this semester is Plato’s Republic and associated dialogues (including the Protagoras, Gorgias and Symposium). A central topic is Plato’s attitude to hedonism.

This course will meet on Wednesday from 4:00-6:30.

Philosophy of Science (Phil 450)

Marc Lange

This is an advanced survey of several of the most central and perennial topics in the philosophy of science. Topics will include the confirmation of scientific theories, scientific explanations, causal relations, laws of nature, chance in nature, scientific realism and anti-realism, and the reduction of macrosciences to microsciences. Readings will include classic papers by Hempel, Cartwright, Reichenbach, Goodman, Sellars, van Fraassen, Sober, Fodor and others. Undergraduates and graduate students may receive somewhat different assignments to complete. (Graduate students take note: Many of the readings appear on the philosophy department’s philosophy of science bibliography list.) The course does not presuppose any background at all in the philosophy of science specifically, but although I welcome undergraduates, the course should definitely not be taken by undergraduates who have no prior experience in philosophy.

This course will meet on Thursday from 1:00-3:30.

Philosophy of Physics (Phil 451)

John T. Roberts

This course will be taught in conjunction with PHYS 313, and will be team-taught by Professor John Roberts of the Philosophy department and Professor Henrik van Dam of the Physics department. The course will be an introduction to the physics and philosophy of space and time. The class will include introductions to the special and general theories of relativity, to problems concerning the philosophical interpretation of these theories, and to more general philosophical puzzles about the nature of space and time.

This course will meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:00.

Philosophy of Psychology (Phil 453)

Joshua Knobe

Philosophers have long been concerned with questions about how people ordinarily think about the self and the world, but investigations of these questions have traditionally been pursued in the absence of experimental data. In recent years, however, there has arisen a new, more interdisciplinary approach to these issues, with philosophers and psychologists working together to develop a better understanding of how people ordinarily think. We will be looking at some of the fruits of this interdisciplinary research program, focusing especially on research relevant to moral philosophy and the philosophy of mind. (This is an upper-level course, which will be geared toward students who have already taken at least one other course in philosophy.)

This course will meet on Tuesday from 1:00-3:30.

Symbolic Logic (Phil 455)

Thomas Hofweber

Symbolic logic as proven to be extremely influential in a variety of 20th century disciplines, like philosophy, linguistics, the foundations of mathematics, and computer science. This course is an introduction to the main topics and results in formal logic for graduate students. We will first cover the syntax and semantics of various formal languages, and the selection of proof systems for them. Then we will discuss and prove some of the central results in the meta-theory of first order logic: completeness, compactness, the Lowenheim-Skolem theorems, complete theories, notions inexpressible in first order logic, and some applications to first order mathematical theories, like non-standard models of arithmetic. Finally we will cover the syntax and variety of semantics for second order logic.

This course will meet on Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30.