Logic and Arguments

January 23 – February 11

The philosopher’s toolbox

Author

Affiliation

Christopher L. Holland

Saint Louis University

1 Readings

Our reading for this module focuses on identifying, evaluating, and giving arguments. We’ll begin with selections from Daniel Z. Korman’s (2022) Learning From Arguments followed by “A Little Bit of Logic” by Louis Pojman (2006) and three chapters from De Cruz’s (2022) Philosophy Illustrated.

Reading Schedule

Due	Text
Th, Jan 23	Learning From Arguments, pp. 4–18
Tu, Jan 28	Learning From Arguments, pp. 202–213
Th, Jan 30	“A Little Bit of Logic” by Louis Pojman
Tu, Feb 4	Philosophy Illustrated, pp. 1–4, 105–108, 113–116 (moved to Feb 11) Review “A Little Bit of Logic” by Louis Pojman
Th, Feb 6	Review Deductive Arguments and Review Apology 24b–42a
Tu, Feb 11	Philosophy Illustrated, pp. 1–4, 105–108, 113–116

2 Notes and Presentations

• Slides: Notes on Logic
• Outline: Notes on Logic
• Deductive Arguments
• Inductive Arguments
• In-Class Activity One
• In-Class Activity One Answer Key
• In-Class Activity Two

3 Assignments

Assignment Schedule

Available	Due	Assignment
Tu, Jan 28	W, Feb 5	Self-Assessment Quiz 2
Th, Jan 30	F, Feb 7	Self-Assessment Quiz 3
In-class	Th, Feb 6	Argument Evaluation 1

4 Additional Resources: Crash Course and Wi-Phi Videos

• Crash Course: How to Argue – Philosophical Reasoning
• Crash Course: How to Argue – Induction and Abduction
• Wi-Phi: Introduction to Critical Thinking
• Wi-Phi: Deductive Arguments
• Wi-Phi: Abductive Arguments

References

Crash Course. 2016a. “How to Argue: Philosophical Reasoning.” Crash Course. February 16, 2016. https://thecrashcourse.com/courses/how-to-argue-philosophical-reasoning-crash-course-philosophy-2/.

———. 2016b. “How to Argue: Induction and Abduction.” Crash Course. February 22, 2016. https://thecrashcourse.com/courses/how-to-argue-induction-abduction-crash-course-philosophy-3/.

De Cruz, Helen, ed. 2022. Philosophy Illustrated. New York: Oxford University Press.

De Cruz, Helen, and Johan De Smedt. 2022. “How to Use a Philosophical Thought Experiment.” In Philosophy Illustrated, edited by Helen De Cruz, 1–4. New York: Oxford University Press.

Korman, Daniel Z. 2022. Learning from Arguments. London, ON: PhilPapers Foundation. https://philarchive.org/rec/KORLFA.

Magidor, Ofra. 2022. “The Morning Star Is the Evening Star, by Gottlob Frege.” In Philosophy Illustrated, edited by Helen De Cruz, 106–8. New York: Oxford University Press.

Martí, Genoveva. 2022. “Gödel and Schmidt, by Saul Kripke.” In Philosophy Illustrated, edited by Helen De Cruz, 113–16. New York: Oxford University Press.

Pojman, Louis P. 2006. Philosophy: The Pursuit of Wisdom. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Pynn, Geoff. 2014a. “Intro to Critical Thinking.” Wireless Philosophy. August 1, 2014. https://www.wi-phi.com/videos/intro-to-critical-thinking/.

———. 2014b. “Deductive Arguments.” Wireless Philosophy. December 21, 2014. https://www.wi-phi.com/videos/deductive-arguments/.

———. 2015. “Abductive Arguments.” Wireless Philosophy. May 8, 2015. https://www.wi-phi.com/videos/abductive-arguments/.