Ash
TNPer
This course covers a very small subset of the basics of logic. It is very much an introductory course. There will be no derivations or discussions on keeping things rigorous.
PRELIMINARY READING : "EUROPEIAN LAW" by HYANYGO, pp 63 - 70. See here for the textbook.
EXTRA READING: http://people.ds.cam.ac.uk/tecb2//forallxcam.pdf The introductory logic course at the University of Cambridge.
Logic Lesson 1
What is logic?
Logic is the study of argument validity - which is whether a logical argument is valid (good) or invalid (bad).
An argument in logic is a set of one or more premises followed by a conclusion, which are often connected by or more intermediate statements.
The premises and the conclusion are always statements - sentences that give information and that are either true or false.
In a valid argument, if all of the premises are true, the conclusion must also be true.
So:
Logic is the study of how to decide the circumstances in which a set of true premises leads to a conclusion that is also true.
A logical argument must have one or more premises followed by a conclusion. Here's an example of a logic argument:
PREMISES
1. All men are mortal.
2. Socrates is a man.
CONCLUSION
3. Socrates is mortal.
In logic, the information that a statement provides, and therefore the statement itself, may be either true or false. This is called the truth value of the statement.
"The capital of France is Paris"TRUE
"Two plus two equals five"FALSE
Now we need to realise what logic can and cannot do.
LOGIC CANNOT
- Create a valid argument
- Tell you what is true and false in reality
- Tell you if an argument is sound
- Justify conclusions arrived at by induction
- Make an argument rhetorically stronger
LOGIC CAN
- Critique a given argument for validity
- Tell you how to work with true and false statements
- Tell you if an argument is valid
- Justify conclusion arrived at by deduction
- Provide the basis for rhetorical improvement
It's important in all of this to remember that logic is just one aspect of thinking. Don't get logic confused with clear thinking unclouded by emotion.
While looking at the above table you might be thinking what is the difference between a sound and a valid argument? A sound argument is simply a valid argument plus the fact that the premises are true, making the conclusion true as well.
A valid argument will produce a lousy conclusion if you give it a bunch of rotten premises.
PREMISES
1. Calvin Coolidge is in TNP.
2. When the Messiah is in Albion the end times have arrived.
3. Calvin Coolidge is the Messiah.
CONCLUSION
4. The end times have arrived.
Logically valid , but sound?