Philosophy 1250: Reasoning and Rational Decision Making

In this class we will discuss and explore some of the methods and principles that distinguish logically good reasoning from bad. We will also learn how to use formal systems to recognize, construct, and evaluate every-day argumentation. We will spend most of our time ensuring that the student has a ready grasp of the difference between inductive and deductive standards of argument evaluation; a distinction which is central to understanding the enterprises of the sciences. Logical skills are not only instrumental in students’ success on aptitude tests such as the GRE and the LSAT, but also in nearly any course or job that utilizes analytic skills.

This course fulfills the Humanities Knowledge Area for the General Education Program.