Lecture 1 Introduction

UGED1111 LOGIC 2024/25 TERM TWO

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!)
• Enrol only if you are committed to (i) attending most of the lectures, and (ii)
completing the exercises after each class!

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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.

• Which card must be turned over to determine if the rule has been violated?

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Suppose (1) is true. What necessarily follows?

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

2) If you didn’t submit all assignments, then you will not pass the course.

3) If you pass the course, then you have submitted all assignments.

4) If you do not pass the course, then you didn’t submit all assignments.

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Suppose (1) is true. What necessarily follows?

1: “If you have submitted all assignments AND attended all classes, then you
will get an A.”

2) If you don’t get an A, then you didn’t submit all assignments AND you
didn’t attend all classes.

3) If you get an A, then you have submitted all assignments AND attended
all classes.

4) If you don’t get an A, then you didn’t submit all assignments OR you
didn’t attend all classes.

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What is Logic as a Subject 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”?: 1
• 1) Hurley in Concise Introduction to Logic: “Logic
may be defined as the organized body of
knowledge, or science, that evaluates arguments.”

• What is “argument”?

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 What is “Logic”?: 2
• What is illogical about the following reasoning?
• “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 prevent the corrupting effect of
those people who are always attacking our country out of malice.”
• 2) Wilfred Hodges in Logic: An Introduction to Elementary Logic: “Logic can be
defined as the study of consistent sets of beliefs.”

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 What is “Logic”?: 3
• 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.

• What is “consistency” and “inconsistency”?

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 What is “Logic”?: 4
• 3) Logical principles for evaluating arguments and checking for consistency
are topic-neutral.
• Logic studies the laws of thinking as such.
• Logic teaches you how to think, not what to think.

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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 (推理規則):

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 Topic-Neutrality
If your final mark is You get an A. If there is vowel on one There is an even
100, then you will side, then there is an number on one
get an A. even number on the side.
other.

Therefore your final mark is 100. Therefore there is a vowel on

the other side.

Rule of inference (推理規則):

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• 特首林鄭月娥早前發表任內最後一 • 1：如果一個人問心無愧，他就瞓
份施政報告，接受《星島日報》訪 到覺。
問，提到…自己「瞓到覺」，「因
• 2：我瞓到覺。
為當你問心無愧嘅時候就瞓到覺。」
(2021/10/18) • 3：我問心無愧。

2025/2/23 15
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 claim mean?
• Meaning analysis; method of definition

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

• What argument can be given to support or justify that claim?: argument
identification

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

• Arguments often come in a series in real life 3

• “(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 2
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 claim mean?
• Meaning analysis; method of definition

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

• What argument can be given to support or justify that claim?: argument
identification
• Is it a good argument?
o Deductive argument 演繹論證

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 Deductive Argument: 1
• Deduction argument is 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 Argument: 2

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 Deductive Argument: 3
• Formal logic (形式邏輯) / Symbolic
logic
• Arguments in natural language are
often messy.
• Symbolization makes clear the
argument form (論證形式/格式).
• Clear argument form facilitates
evaluation of deductive argument.
• Elementary system: Propositional Logic
(命題邏輯)

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

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

• What argument can be given to support or justify that claim?: argument
identification
• Is it a good argument?
o Deductive argument 演繹論證
o Inductive argument 歸納論證

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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.”

• “Arthur has never started his class on time. So he won’t start his next class
on time.”

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 Inductive Argument: 2
• Induction argument 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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 Analogical Argument
• How convincing is this?
• P1: Abilities to write grammatical English and to make
fire by rubbing sticks are similar: they are skills that
can be acquired only through lots of practice.
• P2: It is not important to be able to make fire by
rubbing sticks these days since we have tools to do it
for us.
• C: It is not important to be able to write grammatical
English these days since we have tools to do it for us.

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 Logic is a skill
• 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)
• To become logical in your thinking, practice logic!
 Reading
• Week 1 further reading: Lau (2011) Chapter 1 “Introduction”

• Week 2 basic reading

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

• E-book of Lau (2011) available through library

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