Lecture 1 Introduction

UGED1111 LOGIC 2022/23 SUMMER TERM

DR. ARTHUR CHIN

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 Course Structure
• Language: Cantonese (lecture) / mostly English (PPT, readings, and tests)
• Assessment
 In-Class Midterm Test 40%
 In-Class Final Test 50%
 Class Participation (UReply) 10%
• Exercise: (1) class exercise (format similar to tests) and (2) exercise in
readings
• Direct your inquiries to [email protected] (NOT CU a/c!)
• Complete (at least) the Class Exercise after each lecture!

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 Warm-Up Q1 (1 min)
• Which is most likely to be true? Which is less?
Arrange the following in descending order of
Linda is 31 years old, single,
likelihood.
outspoken, and very bright.
She majored in philosophy. 1)Linda is a teacher in elementary school.
As a student, she was 2)Linda works in a bookstore and takes yoga classes.
deeply concerned with 3)Linda is a psychiatric social worker.
issues of discrimination and
social justice, and also 4)Linda is a bank teller.
participated in anti-nuclear 5)Linda is an insurance salesperson.
demonstrations. 6)Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist
movement.

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 Warm-Up Q2 (45 seconds)
• Every card has an alphabet on one side and a number on the other.

Picture source:
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Cards-
in-the-original-Wason-selection-task-
experiment_fig3_326463698

• Which card do you need to turn over to determine if the rule is correct?
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Suppose the following is true. What necessarily follows?

“If you submit all assignments, then you will pass the course.”

1) If you fail to submit some assignment, then you will not pass the course.

2) If you pass the course, then you submit all assignments.

3) If you do not pass the course, then you fail to submit all assignments.

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Suppose the following is true. What necessarily follows?

“If you have both submitted all assignments and attended all classes, then
you will get an A.”

1) If you don’t get an A, then you have failed to submit all assignments and
you did not attend all classes.

2) If you get an A, then you have both submitted all assignments and
attended all classes.

3) If you don’t get an A, then you have failed to submit all assignments or
you did not attend all classes.

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What is Logic About?

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 Movie “IT Part 2”
Pennywise: Hello, Vicky. Isn’t that how your
friends call you? How do I know that? I guess I
must be your friend too.

Vicky: If you’re my friend, why are you hiding in

the dark? You’re not my friend.
 What is Logic About?: 1
• 1) Hurley in Concise Introduction to Logic: “Logic may be defined as the
organized body of knowledge, or science, that evaluates arguments.”

“It would be wrong to censor violent programs on television, because people’s

behavior isn’t really affected by what they see on the screen. All the same it
would be a good idea to have more programs showing the good sides of our
national way of life, because it would straighten out some of the people who are
always knocking our country.” (Wilfred Hodges. Logic: An Introduction to
Elementary Logic. p.1)

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 What is Logic About?: 2
• 1) Hurley in Concise Introduction to Logic: “Logic may be defined as the
organized body of knowledge, or science, that evaluates arguments.”
• 2) Wilfred Hodges in Logic: An Introduction to Elementary Logic: “Logic can
be defined as the study of consistent sets of beliefs.”

• Are the following consistent?

1) If he is the murderer, his fingerprints would be found on the knife.
2) If he is the murderer, his fingerprints would not be found on the knife.

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 What is Logic About?: 3
• 1) Hurley in Concise Introduction to Logic: “Logic may be defined as the
organized body of knowledge, or science, that evaluates arguments.”
• 2) Wilfred Hodges in Logic: An Introduction to Elementary Logic: “Logic can
be defined as the study of consistent sets of beliefs.”
• 3) Logic studies principles of thinking as such (i.e. topic-neutral).

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 Topic-Neutrality
If neutrinos can The theory of If the interest rate rises, Inflation will not
travel faster than relativity is correct. then inflation will fall. fall.
light, then the
theory of relativity
is not correct.

Therefore neutrinos cannot travel faster Therefore the interest rate

than light. does not rise.

Rule of inference:

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What is “UGED1111 Logic” about?

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Who is right? (UReply; CWEM Login Session)
• A: Look at the huge tree that fell last night. I believe it has made a tremendous
sound when it came down.
• B: No, you are quite wrong. Since nobody was around in that area, its falling did
not make any sound.

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 Course Structure
• Step 1: What does a certain claim mean?
 Meaning analysis; method of definition

• Step 2: Is it rational to accept the claim?

 What is its supporting argument?: argument identification

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 Argument Identification: 1
• Argument ( 論證 ) =df a collection of 2 or more statements, where
one of them (conclusion) is claimed to be justified by the other(s)
(premise(s)).

• Arguments often come in a series

 “(1) Drastic steps must be taken to prevent an extra 0.5 degree of
temperature rise. Why? Because (2) whether we do so will make a life-
or-death difference. This in turn is because (3) if human-caused
warming is allowed to rise to 1 degree from now, twice as many people
would suffer from lack of water.”

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 Argument Identification: 2
• 我知道市民十分關心疫苗注射是否會對長遠健康有負面影響。我可以
肯定告訴大家，答案是否定的，因為目前未有證據顯示有此影響。

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 Course Structure
• Step 1: What does a certain claim mean?
 Meaning analysis; method of definition

• Step 2: Is it rational to accept the claim?

 What is its supporting argument?: argument identification

 Is it a good argument?
oDeductive argument

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 Deductive Reasoning: 1
• Deduction ( 演繹法 ) associated with necessary reasoning: What must be
the case given certain premises?

• Standards for evaluating deduction: validity ( 對確 ) and soundness ( 真確 )

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Deductive Reasoning: 1

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Deductive Reasoning: 2

Those who are bad at logic

are easily duped.

Those who are easily duped

will live a miserable life.

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 Deductive Reasoning: 3
• Formal logic ( 形式邏輯 )

 Symbolize messy arguments in ordinary

language to make clear its form

 Focus on form of reasoning facilitates

evaluation of deductive arguments

 Elementary system of formal logic:

Propositional Logic ( 命題邏輯 )

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 Course Structure
• Step 1: What does a certain claim mean?
 Meaning analysis; method of definition

• Step 2: Is it rational to accept the claim?

 What is its supporting argument?: argument identification

 Is it a good argument?
oDeductive argument
oInductive argument

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 Inductive Argument: 1
• “The Observatory says tomorrow’s temperature will drop sharply. So I
believe that it will get cooler tomorrow.”

• “Lecturer X has never started his class on time. So this is what will happen
next time.”

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 Inductive Argument: 2
• Induction ( 歸納法 ) associated with probabilistic reasoning: What is more
probable to be the case given certain premises?
 Analogical argument ( 類比論證 )
 Generalization ( 推廣 )
 Argument from authority
 Prediction and causal reasoning

• Standard for evaluating induction: strength ( 蓋確 ) and cogency ( 蓋真 )

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 Importance of Practice
• Aristotle: “What we need to learn to do, we learn
by doing; for example, we become builders by
building, and lyre-players by playing the lyre. So
too we become just by doing just actions,
temperate by doing temperate actions and
courageous by doing courageous actions.”
(Nicomachean Ethics)
• We become logical thinkers by exercising logical
thinking!
 Reading
• Lecture 1: Lau (2011): Chapter 1 “Introduction”

• Preparation for Lecture 2

 Lau (2011): Chapter 3 “Definitions”
 Lau (2011): Chapter 4 “Necessary and Sufficient Conditions” (in particular
Sect.4.5)
 Lau (2011): Chapter 8 “Identifying Arguments”

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