PHIL 155.001 – Truth and Proof: Introduction to Mathematical Logic

Instructor: John T. Roberts. The course meets MW 3:35 – 4:50 p.m. in DE 203.

This course is an introduction to logic, the field that studies the structure of valid reasoning (about any subject matter). We will use a simple artificial language to reconstruct pieces of reasoning, and we will master a variety of formal tools for evaluating such pieces as valid or invalid. The course has no prerequisites. Though it is a Philosophy course, there are respects in which it will be more like a math course: For instance, the required work will be problem-solving, rather than paper-writing. Students in this course will not be required to purchase a textbook (we will use a text that you can get a pdf of for free).