LOGIC

PHILO 411/322
MODULE 1 ADDITIONAL POINTS

INTRODUCTION:

“The feeling of wonder is the touchstone of the philosopher, and all philosophy has its origins in
wonder.” – Plato

Summary of main points

1) Philosophy is defined according to its root words as “the love of wisdom.” Its two major
divisions include theoretical and practical under which logic is classified.

o Theoretical division – aims at acquiring knowledge on the subject matter being studied
(e.g. epistemology, metaphysics, cosmology).
o Practical division – aims at applying knowledge about a subject matter for practical
purposes (e.g. logic, ethics, aesthetics).
2) As it deals with ARGUMENT, Logic may serve to support in arriving at clear, correct, valid, and
consistent answers to questions which are the primary consideration in the other branches of
philosophy.

o Statements are the kind of sentences that can be true or false.

o An argument is a group of statements some of which, the premises, are offered in
support of another statement, the conclusion.

Example:

Statement
Stan was driving his truck over the speed limit. He had no excuse for driving
over the speed limit. Furthermore, he was intoxicated. Therefore, Stan was
breaking the law.

We can easily isolate the conclusion:

 Stan was breaking the law.

Notice that we do not include the word ‘therefore’ when we state the conclusion. The
word ‘therefore’ is not part of the statement that forms the conclusion.

All other statements are premises. We have:

 Stan was driving his truck over the speed limit.
 Stan had no excuse for driving over the speed limit.
 Stan was intoxicated.
3) Logic comes in two forms: natural and scientific. Natural logic is the inherent ability of man to
reason out, whereas scientific logic is an acquired skill of man through constant study, training,
and practice.
o Natural Logic – refers to the “gift of reason”.
- This gift of reason was recognized by the greatest of the Greek
philosophers – Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato – who declared that man is
essentially rational by nature by virtue of which he stands apart and
above all creatures.
o Scientific Logic – a tool to help us sharpen our reasoning ability.
- It is through this formal study of logic that our native reason can be
distinguished from those “minds in the marketplace”.
4) Logic is both a science and an art. It is a science because it involves data, procedure, and
validity. It is also an art because it involves the learned skills directing the mind in distinguishing
correct from erroneous arguments.
5) There are two major approaches in the study of logic: informal and formal logic. Formal logic is
divided into Traditional Aristotelian Logic and Modern Symbolic Logic.

o Formal logic (Martin Cothran, 1998) outlines the differences of Traditional

Aristotelian Logic and Modern Symbolic Logic in these points:

Traditional Aristotelian Modern Symbolic

1) It deals with the study of deductive
argument through classical syllogism which
emphasizes the relationship of words.
2) It has both a formal branch (structure of the
argument) and the material branch (content
of the argument).
1) It deals with the study of deductive argument
with emphasis on the relationship between
statements, not, words (propositional logic).
2) It studies only the form of arguments and
pretends to be able to mean in the statements
in a kind of formal symbolic system.

o Informal logic – an attempt to develop logical tools that can analyze and assess
the informal reasoning that occurs in natural language contexts.
- Arguments formulated under informal logic are characterized as both
rhetorical and dialectical.

 Rhetorical arguments – appear to be more sympathetic in attitude.

The ethos or charisma of the speaker plays a crucial role in
determining whether or not an argument is persuasive.
 Dialectical arguments – consider argumentation as a form of dialogical
exchange and resolution of disputes.
6) The material objects or the subject matters of logic are the three mental operations while the
formal object of logic is the process of correct thinking or argumentation.
o In logic, the material object includes the three mental operations:
a) Simple apprehension (terms)
b) Judgement (propositions)
c) Reasoning (arguments)
 o The formal object – refers to the special viewpoints from which the material
object is studied by a particular science.
7) The study of logic is significant to any students, professionals, and persons.
a) As students, you should consider Logic as a basic subject needed in the study of every
other academic subject. You use logic when you discuss essays in our examinations,
analyze historical information and social data, perform interpretations of your
researches, or engage in some debates on some current issues. You already use logic in
every subject without knowing it.
The question is: Are you using enough logic?
b) As professionals, one use Logic particularly in decision making. No profession is devoid
of the use of reasoning. For doctors, in analyzing the health status of their patients and
in administering medicine, doctors need logic. Lawyers also employ the use of good
reasoning in defending their clients before any court-of-law. Moreover, logic makes
ones works faster and ones lives possible when they discipline their minds in order to
think logically.
c) As person, one need to study logic in order to improve their reasoning potentials; and
that as much as possible they can promote understanding and foster better
relationships among others in the society.

Thank you and God bless.

References:

Hinacay, Marionito L. and Hinacay, Maria Belen S.E. (2004). Logic: A Textbook-Workbook for College
Students. Iligan City: Ivory Printing and Publishing House

https://www.futurelearn.com/