logic unit notes
DESCRIPTION
Notes on philosophers, logic and logical fallacies.TRANSCRIPT
Who Defined the Study of Philosophy and Logic?
• Socrates, Plato and Aristotle• These three philosophers form the basis of
what is known as Western Philosophy• Every thinker and scientist that followed
used their methods
Socrates b. 470 BCE
• Developed the Socratic method:• A series of questions are used to examine beliefs and develop ideas.
• “The unexamined life is not worth living.”• “ There is only one good, knowledge, and one
evil, ignorance.” • “Know thyself.”• Was executed in Athens after being convicted of
corrupting the youth with his ideas.
Platob. 428 BCE
• Was Socrates’ brilliant student• Traveled extensively before returning to teach at
The Academy.• Allegory of the Cave- the real world is only a
reflection of the truth, of a higher reality • He believed that the perfect political system would
feature “philosopher kings” as it rulers, people versed in ethics and who truly loved only one thing: truth and knowledge
Aristotleb. 384 BCE
• Plato’s student• Aristotle studied almost every single topic from
anatomy to economics to geography, physics, politics, psychology, religion, and even poetry.
• He founded his own school after leaving the Academy, and his center of knowledge became known as the Lyceum.
• Was Alexander the Great’s personal teacher.
Aristotle Part 2
• Developed a vast system of rules for logical thinking to define the world.
• Much like a game has rules, so, too, must logic• Syllogism def. If A=B and B=C, then A=C• Causality: If I set fire to a piece of paper (cause)
then it will burn (effect).• Scientific Method:
• 1. Observe and take notes • 2. Make a theory • 3. Test the theory
What is Logic?• Def. logic is the study of the rules for correct, or valid,
reasoning.
• Deduction: Reasoning that moves from the general to the specific. It is a form of inference where if the premises are true, the conclusion must also be true.– All humans have two legs, the major premise, – I am a human, the minor premise, therefore, – I have two legs, the conclusion.
• Induction: Reasoning that typically moves from specific examples to a larger, general observation. If the premises are true, it is improbable that the conclusion is false.
– '95 households out of 100 have a TV. I am going to stay with Fred, so I will probably be able to watch TV".
Quick check: Stop taking notes!
• I failed that course because the instructor didn’t like me.Assumption: The instructor fails students he doesn’t like.
• I’m not surprised he made the team. After all, his father is the superintendent of schools.Assumption: The superintendent gives special favors to his family
• If I’d only taken my boss to lunch more often, I could have gotten that raise. Assumption: The boss denies raises to people who don’t take him to
lunch very often.
Analyze the assumptions behind every idea!!!
What are the unstated assumptions?
What is a syllogism?
• a specific method of logical deduction(moving from the general to the particular)
every syllogism contains at least three parts:– a major premise (global assumption)– a minor premise (specific claim)– a conclusion
• It’s kind of like simple math
If A = B and B = C, then A = C
A visual representationall things with hairall mammals have hair
mammalsfish do not have hair
fish
Fish are not mammals
Not in your notes -- just think it through!
True vs. Valid Arguments
• True argument = an argument with a conclusion that is considered factually correct.
• Valid argument = an argument with a conclusion that makes sense logically, regardless of whether it is true or not.
True, Valid or Both?
bad driversAll old people are bad drivers.
Old peopleJean is an old person.
Jean
Jean is a bad driver.
If the premises are true, the conclusion would be true.
So this is a valid argument, but obviously false.
True, Valid, or Both
• All fruits have seeds.• Tomatoes have seeds.• Therefore, a tomato is a fruit.
All fruits
Tomatoes
Scientifically, this is valid and true
Is this True, Valid, or Both?
• No human being is immortal.• Ghosts are not human beings.• Therefore, ghosts are immortal.
all things immortal
humanbeings
Faulty logic because this syllogism assumes anything not human is immortal. However, according to some people’s beliefs, this is a true statement: So this is an invalid argument, but a true conclusion.
ghosts
Is this True, Valid, or Both?
• All weeds are plants.• A flower is a plant.• Therefore, all weeds are flowers.
plants
weedsflowers
The conclusion here does not logically follow as a necessary consequence; therefore this argument is invalid.