PHIL 155.001 – Introduction to Mathematical Logic

Instructor: Aliosha Barranco Lopez. This course meets MTWRF 1:15 – 2:45 p.m. in CW 105.

Phil 155 is an introductory course to mathematical logic. In order to be part of this class, you do not have to have taken a course in the subject before.   In this class, we will learn how to distinguish a good from a bad argument. Broadly speaking, an argument is a set of sentences that give you reasons to think that a conclusion is true. For example:
Premise 1. The Tar Heels are the best basketball team this season
Premise 2. The best basketball team this season has good chances to get to the final
Conclusion: The Tar Hells have good chances to get to the final
This is a good argument! And it is so not because it says something about the Tar Heels. In this class, we will learn why. We will learn formal techniques that will help us to determine in a rigorous way the status of an argument.

Required textbook:
Language, Proof and Logic
Dave Barker-Plummer, Jon Barwise and John Etchemendy
Includes software that is tied to unique email addresses, therefore students should only use NEW versions of this book. Do not buy a used copy!