Logic II: Formal Logic

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Logic has been described as "the science of right thinking." In combination with truth, it's the necessary ingredient for any reasoning or discovery of new ideas - and, if misused, can lead to any number of bad ideas. We use logic in every academic discipline, whether we are writing a well-reasoned paper, working through a geometry proof, or discovering a new scientific law. We use it every day when we determine whether to take a friend's advice, to trust a slick advertisement, or to pursue a business opportunity. And as Christians, when we're commanded to be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have (I Peter 3:15), we're actually being encouraged to cultivate logical skills, because it's impossible to give a reason for anything without using logic.

Logic II builds on the foundation of Living the Answer's popular Introduction to Logic and Rhetoric class to further cultivate the student's ability to think well. With a more specific focus on formal logic (as opposed to the general critical thinking and informal logic that's emphasized in Intro to Logic and Rhetoric), Logic II: Formal Logic provides students with a clear, rigorous, and fun overview of the elements of thought. Students will learn,

• How to get to the heart of an argument and analyze it successfully
• How to differentiate between the mental and verbal elements of an argument
• How "simple apprehension" allows us to understand the terms of an argument
• How "judgment" allows us to affirm or deny truths about the parts of the argument
• How "deductive inference" allows us to move from known truths to discover new, implied truths

The class will readTraditional Logic 1: Introduction to Formal Logic, an excellent logic textbook by Martin Cothran. The textbook is intended to be covered over the course of about ten weeks, but is easily compressed into eight. As in all Living the Answer classes, the textbook will be supplemented with examples, lectures, and notes from the teacher to make sure students understand and enjoy the material. There will be weekly take-home assignments which will be discussed in the following class, as well as a single chapter of reading to be done before the first class. The class meets for 90 minutes every week for eight weeks.