180225 SE Epistemology and Logic (2024W)
Introduction to Epistemic Logic
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung
Labels
An/Abmeldung
Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").
- Anmeldung von Di 24.09.2024 09:00 bis So 29.09.2024 23:59
- Abmeldung bis So 10.11.2024 23:59
Details
max. 25 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch
Lehrende
Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert
- Freitag 18.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Freitag 25.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Freitag 08.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Freitag 15.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Freitag 22.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Freitag 29.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Freitag 06.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Freitag 13.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- N Freitag 10.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Freitag 17.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Freitag 24.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Freitag 31.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
Information
Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung
Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel
-- Students are expected to attend and participate in seminars, a maximum of two unexcused absences are permitted.
-- Students are also required to complete 4 problem sets periodically through the seminar.
-- Students will also submit a final paper (2.000 to 3.500 words, including footnotes, references etc.).
-- Students are also required to complete 4 problem sets periodically through the seminar.
-- Students will also submit a final paper (2.000 to 3.500 words, including footnotes, references etc.).
Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab
I. Grading
Each problem set accounts for 10% of the course grade.
The term paper accounts for the remaining 60% of the grade.II. Criteria
Successful answers to the questions on the problem sets will offer a correct answer to the question in a way that demonstrates the student's knowledge and explains how the result was arrived at/proved. Mistakes and errors in the course of such explanations will potentially result in points being deducted.Term papers are assessed as pieces of academic philosophy. Clarity of exposition, originality of thought, strength of argument, and engagement with relevant literature are among the good-making features of a strong term paper. By contrast, poorly written and poorly argued papers will score less well.III. Passing Grade
In order to get a passing grade, the term paper must receive a passing grade, and the average of the problems sets must be a passing grade.IV. Required Background Knowledge
The aim of the course is to give students insight into the epistemological significance of logical techniques. As such, the focus is not on developing logical aptitude per se but rather on bringing logical formalisms into contact with interesting questions in philosophy. Nonetheless, students are expected to have some familiarity with introductory logic and those without such familiarity will likely struggle to grasp the material and complete the problem sets (see below). In particular, while we will begin with a recap on modal logic, students without prior experience of modal logic are likely to find this material challenging and will typically need to study especially hard in order to stay on track with the course. That is, while it is possible to enjoy and succeed in this course even if you do not have a prior background in the area, we will move more swiftly through the material than might otherwise be appropriate in a purely introductory course; those unprepared for this may find themselves left behind.
Each problem set accounts for 10% of the course grade.
The term paper accounts for the remaining 60% of the grade.II. Criteria
Successful answers to the questions on the problem sets will offer a correct answer to the question in a way that demonstrates the student's knowledge and explains how the result was arrived at/proved. Mistakes and errors in the course of such explanations will potentially result in points being deducted.Term papers are assessed as pieces of academic philosophy. Clarity of exposition, originality of thought, strength of argument, and engagement with relevant literature are among the good-making features of a strong term paper. By contrast, poorly written and poorly argued papers will score less well.III. Passing Grade
In order to get a passing grade, the term paper must receive a passing grade, and the average of the problems sets must be a passing grade.IV. Required Background Knowledge
The aim of the course is to give students insight into the epistemological significance of logical techniques. As such, the focus is not on developing logical aptitude per se but rather on bringing logical formalisms into contact with interesting questions in philosophy. Nonetheless, students are expected to have some familiarity with introductory logic and those without such familiarity will likely struggle to grasp the material and complete the problem sets (see below). In particular, while we will begin with a recap on modal logic, students without prior experience of modal logic are likely to find this material challenging and will typically need to study especially hard in order to stay on track with the course. That is, while it is possible to enjoy and succeed in this course even if you do not have a prior background in the area, we will move more swiftly through the material than might otherwise be appropriate in a purely introductory course; those unprepared for this may find themselves left behind.
Prüfungsstoff
I.
The topic of the problem sets will be drawn directly from the material presented and studied in class.II.
The topic of the term paper should be related to the issues discussed in class. If in doubt, students should inquire with the instructor whether a particular topic is suitable.
The topic of the problem sets will be drawn directly from the material presented and studied in class.II.
The topic of the term paper should be related to the issues discussed in class. If in doubt, students should inquire with the instructor whether a particular topic is suitable.
Literatur
Provisional Suggested Readings (more specific information & further readings will be provided in due course):Ted Sider, Logic for Philosophers, chapter 3, chapter 6.
Timothy Williamson, Knowledge and its Limits, chapter 4.
Timothy Williamson, Knowledge and its Limits, chapter 4.
Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis
Letzte Änderung: Do 26.09.2024 11:26
The aim of this course is to illustrate how logical concepts might have an application to epistemological problems.II. Contents
We’ll begin with some brief introductory remarks on modal logics—logics of possibility and necessity. In particular, we’ll discuss how we can construct models for sentential modal logics—the logics governing claims like “it’s necessary that p” or “if q then possibly q”. The basic idea is to add a set of worlds to standard models of sentential logics. Roughly, something is necessarily true if it’s true in all possible words and possibly true if it’s true in at least some possible worlds. Different modal logics can be developed by constructing a so-called “accessibility relation” that limits which worlds count as possible.One way to get to an epistemic logic is by interpreting our set of worlds as a set of scenarios consistent with what we know. If some proposition p is true in all such scenarios, then there is no way for p to be false consistent with what we know. It seems to follow then that we know p also. In this way, knowledge that p—Kp—is analogous to necessity in standard modal logics. We’ll consider some axioms that we might want to lay down governing our knowledge operator, K. One axiom for instance says that if Kp then p; or, in other words, if you know that p, then p is true. This corresponds to the so-called factivity of knowledge: the requirement that we can only know something if it is true. We’ll also consider, though, a more controversial axiom according to which if Kp then KKp (i.e. if you know that p then you know that you know that p). This looks like a plausible principle but turns out to have some surprising results. We’ll consider what conclusions, if any, this might imply for our knowledge of our own minds and for scepticism more generally.Finally, we’ll turn to look at an interesting paradox: we might have thought that for any p, if p is true then we ought to be able to know that p (at least in principle). After all, what could stop us having knowledge of this kind? It turns out, though, that given some plausible premises it follows as a matter of logic that there are unknowable truths. This result is called Fitch’s paradox.III. Methods
Teaching will involve seminar discussion, reading, logic exercises, etc.