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  6. PH35ZR: ADVANCED LOGIC

PH35ZR: ADVANCED LOGIC (2015-2016)

Last modified: 25 Mar 2016 11:35


Course Overview

In Reason & Argument, you learnt about logic with the aim of building skills to enhance your reasoning by applying logical techniques to language and argument. This course has a very different goal. Rather than applying reason and logic to problems in general, we are going to make reason itself the object of our investigation. The course is mainly concerned with one problem: how powerful is reason? What can we expect from it and what are its limitations? This leads us to two of the most important results in twentieth century logic: completeness theorem and Gödel’s incompleteness theorem. Course Guide

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 3
Session Second Sub Session Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Toby Meadows

Qualification Prerequisites

None.

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Either Philosophy (PH) (Studied) or MA Natural Philosophy (Studied)
  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
  • Either Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

This course will introduce students to the proof theory and semantics first order logic, and the basic principles of contemporary computability theory. Students will learn to master the conceptual apparatus of the major logical results of the twentieth century and develop skills useful for work in philosophical logic, philosophy of mathematics, metaphysics and philosophy of language.
While basic logic courses focus on using particular types of logic, this course will make logic itself the subject of investigation. This will reveal surprising strengths and limitations that impact upon our ability to do formal philosophy, mathematics and science. The main goals of the module will be to tackle: the completeness theorem for first order logic; and Gödel’s celebrated incompleteness theorem. Along the way, there will be preparatory discussion of elementary set theory, model theory and recursion theory. An ubiquitous technique in this field is proof by mathematical induction and we shall devote particular attention to this.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 31 August 2023 for 1st half-session courses and 22 December 2023 for 2nd half-session courses.

Summative Assessments

2 x small assignments (40%) plus 1 x take home exam (60%).

Resit: 1 x take home exam (100%).

Formative Assessment

There will be no formative assessment. However, the small assignments and seminar presentation will provide ongoing assessment that will give students a good measure of their progress.

Feedback

Small assignments will be provided with written comments. The seminar presentation will be assessed using set criteria and written comments will be provided. Students will also be able to meet with the coordinator during office hours or by appointment.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.
 

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