symbolization

11/26/11 10 Software

Skills to be acquired in this tutorial:

To become familiar with the notions of argument, valid, invalid, premise, and conclusion. To learn how to symbolize atomic sentences.

Reading

A. Hausman, H.Kahane, P.Tidman, [2007] Logic and Philosophy Chapters 1, 2.1

Tutorial:

The main role of logic is to assess arguments-- to say whether an individual argument is valid or whether it is invalid. In logic, arguments are taken to consist of two components--premises, and a conclusion.

For example,

1/24/06

eg Lander or Suber

The problem or issue here lies with the truth table for the conditional (or material implication)→

There is the idea of setting up a code or convention or dictionary between atomic propositions and capital letters.

There are compound propositions, each of which has a main connective which connects its components.

There are five propositional logical connectives:

'∼' which translates back to 'it is not the case that...'

'&' which translates back to '... and ...'

'∨' which translates back to '... or ...'

'→' which translates back to 'if... then ...'

'≡' which translates back to '... if and only if ...'

8/29/06

Tutorial 2 Example: How Experts Symbolize

[This is a film-- press the 'play' symbol.]

8/29/06

8/2/08

Tutorial 1 Exercise 2

[What is shown below is a Quicktime Movie, with sound. Your computer should be able to run this. If you are having trouble, check with Quicktime or Quicktime download and equip your machine for viewing Quicktime. If you have external speakers, or similar, you may need to turn them on and turn the volume up.]

7/30/08 11Software

Skills to be acquired in this tutorial:

To become familiar with the notions of argument, valid, invalid, premise, and conclusion. To learn how to symbolize atomic propositions.

Tutorial:

The main role of logic is to assess arguments-- to say whether an individual argument is valid or whether it is invalid. In logic, arguments are taken to consist of two components--premises, and a conclusion.

For example,

If it rains, I get wet.
It rains.

Therefore,

I get wet.

Indicative sentences in a natural language, English, for instance, are either true or false. For example, 'There are 35 State Governors in the U.S.A.' is an indicative sentence (which happens to be false). Such sentences express statements or propositions. Not all pieces of language express propositions. For example, the question 'What day is it today?' is not either true or false (although reasonable answers to it will be either true or false); again, the greeting 'Have a nice day!' is not either true or false.

6/22/07

Reading

Bergmann[2004] The Logic Book Sections 7.7-7.8

[The core of this is from Leblanc and Wisdom [1972] p.117 and f.]

Symbolization using the Universal Quantifier (of non relational English)

10 Software

The Tutorial

Thus far we have considered only 'monadic' predicates-- our atomic formulas consist of a predicate followed by only one term-- for example, Fx. But in English we regularly encounter dyadic predicates or relations. For example, 'Arthur is taller than Bert' cannot be symbolized with the tools we have used so far; what is needed is a relation to represent '...is taller than ...' Txy, say, and then the proposition would be symbolized Tab.