10703 Introduction to Logic

Credits: 6 intermediate credits in Philosophy

Prerequisites: none

Author: Rami Israel

Logic deals mainly with arguments – deriving conclusions from assumptions or information at our disposal. Logic is the most basic foundation of rational thinking in general and scientific thinking in particular. Research in logic provides us with knowledge implemented in many fields, from preparatory courses for psychometric exams through the development of the modern computer.

The course acquaints students with the field of logic, focusing on the distinction between valid and invalid arguments (what conclusions can be made from given information). Students also study the foundations of Aristotelian logic and acquire the techniques of propositional calculus and predicate calculus in modern logic. The course deals with philosophical questions about the essence of logic, the nature of the relationship between natural language (in our case Hebrew) and logical language, and more.

Topics: What is logic?, Aristotelian logic, the foundations of propositional calculus, semantics of propositional calculus, Truth trees, natural deduction, the foundations of predicate calculus, predicate calculus semantics, syntactic methods in predicate calculus, identity.