Inductive Logic Syllabus

Fall 2024, Section 1, Tuesday Thursday, 10:30-11:45  DH 110

Catalog Description for Inductive Logic. Introduction to inductive logic and the problem of decision under uncertainty. Topics include: the nature of inductive rationality, philosophical theories of induction and probability, cognitive biases and common errors in inductive reasoning, and philosophical problems in defining risk, rational agency, and the expected value of an action.

Uncertainty—that is appropriate for matters of this world. Only regarding the next can we vouchsafe certainty. I believe certainty regarding that which we can see and touch, it is seldom justified, if ever. Down the ages from our remote past, what certainties survive? And yet we hurry to fashion new ones, wanting their comfort.  --Joel and Ethan Cohen

Class Structure:  This course is hybrid; lectures are online and discussion sections are in person.  All of the readings, links to video lectures from Prof. McCormick's YouTube channel, links to Canvas quizzes, tests, and links to the journal entries are listed in the Course Schedule.  In a typical week, students will do the readings, study the lectures, and take the first version of a Canvas Quiz.  Then there will be a one day break for them to study their mistakes, have a class discussion, consult with Prof. McCormick  in office hours in MND 3020 or on Zoom, or by email (see the homepage for details), and then the second version of the Canvas quiz will open.  We will take the highest of the two scores from each pair of quizzes.  There will also be homework assignments due in student's Google Docs throughout the semester and journal entries.  And there will be tests released on the schedule that will be entered into their Google Docs.  See the schedule for details.  

No smart phone use, unless explicitly instructed by the professor, will be allowed in class.  

Students may use a laptop in class for notes, but to minimize distractions for the rest of the class, please only have course materials on your screen.  

Required Texts:

An Introduction to Probability and Inductive Logic, by Ian Hacking

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

 Specific reading assignments are all listed on the Course Schedule.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the course, students who pass the class will understand:

A typical week will have this sort of structure with regard to the Canvas quizzes (not the homework assignments or in-class tests):

Here is the course grade structure:

13 Canvas Quizzes @ 2% each = 26%

4 Homework Assignments @ 5% each = 20%

14 Journal entries = 7% of total grade

4 tests @ 8.5% = 34%

13 In-class point assignments = 13% total grade

Grading Policy:  Here, on a 100 point scale, is how graded work, weighted according to percentages in the chart above, will be graded:  

A     93-99

A-    90-92

B+   87-89

B     83-86

B-    80-82

C+   77-79

C     73-76

C-    70-72

D+   67-69

D     63-66

D-    60-62

F      50-59

Here is a link to the Philosophy Department Grading Standards that gives details about what sort of work is considered A, B, C, D, or F work for Philosophy Papers,  By extension, similar standards apply to tests, quizzes, journal entries, and homework assignments of the sort required in Inductive Logic.  

Briefly, 

A= Excellent, or very well done. 

B= Superior, or well done.  

C= Satisfactory or adequate.  

D= Serious Weaknesses, or unsatisfactory.

F= Unacceptable

Course Policies: Office hours, attendance policies, being tardy, late and missed assignments, makeup policy, cheating, intellectual property rights, students with disabilities, laptop policy are all listed here. 

Google Docs: the journal entries for the class must be submitted in an online word processor called Google Docs. This program stores your work on the web and allows you to share it with others (me).

Getting Started: Create a Google Account:

1. Go to: https://www.google.com/accounts/ManageAccount If you don't already have an account, create one with the link on the lower right. Please don't use a pseudonym that is not recognizable as your name--I won't be able to give credits for posts from a mystery student named "oNixJUmper3." If you already have an account with a pseudonym, email me with your name and the account name. Also put your name on the Google Doc you are creating for the course.

Video: Instructions for Creating a Google Doc for Prof. McCormick's classes.

1. After you have established a Google account, you can go to this page https://www.google.com/accounts/ManageAccount to access other services, or you can go to www.google.com and login.

2. In the upper right hand corner, there are links in a pattern of 9 dots. Click on that, and then click on Drive.

3. To create a new document, click "Create" in the upper left hand corner, and click on "Document."

4. Type your work and edit it in the window that opens.

5. Give it a title by clicking on "Untitled Document" in the upper left, and renaming it. Your work will be periodically saved automatically.

You will create one document for this course. It should be named last name Inductive Logic.

e.g. Smith Inductive Logic

I collect and put student work into folders by the title. Please do not put anything else in the title than last name Inductive Logic. No hyphens, quotes, dashes, commas, and so on. And please do not title the whole document after the heading for the first entry or I won't be able to find the work and give you credit for it.

All of your written work for the course will go into this file--Do not create multiple, separate files for the different assignments. One student, one document.

I will track when the projects and papers were completed with the Revision History function in Google Docs. Any changes made to the documents made after the due date and time will be recorded there and be treated as late work according to the late policies on the Office Hours and Course Policies page.

As each project is due, open the document and add the project for that week to the top so that the document will contain all of them at the end of the semester. Each project will have a section heading in bold listed in the assignments.

6. Save the document with the "Save" button in the upper right.

7. Also on the upper right is a "Share" button. Click on it, then click on "Invite People." Be sure the "can edit" option is checked. If you don't share it with me as a collaborator, I cannot grade your work.

8. In the box that comes up, enter my email address: mccormick@csus.edu

9. Click: Invite Collaborators

10. Be sure to put your name on the document and in the message to me with your assignments.    

11. Send it (bottom right), and be sure to send a copy to yourself for backup.

12. Explore the other functions in the Google docs program.

13. If you prefer to write your work in another program, do so, and then cut and paste it into Google Docs.

If you do upload a document, be sure to re-title your essay according to step 6 and follow the rest of the steps. Also be sure that the formatting has been preserved.

Here are a couple of videos explaining how Google Docs works:

Google Docs in Plain English

Sharing Options in Google Docs

Grading Criteria for Journal Entries:  There are too many students and too many entries for me to give many individual comments or grades on them.  I will give everyone some feedback early on in the semester, then it is up to the student to follow these criteria to receive full credit:

1)  All of the entries must be completed.  Any missing projects will result in a proportional reduction in the overall grade.  

2)  All of the journal entries must be completed on time.  The time and date when it was submitted is available to me in the Revision History tab of Google Docs.  Any revisions that occur after the due date will also be evident in the Revision History view.  Late assignments will not be accepted.  

3)  All of the questions in the individual projects must be addressed.  And they must be addressed specifically and thoroughly.  A good strategy is to quote the entire assignment in your entry and address each part separately.   

4) It will vary from project to project, but doing a thorough and acceptable job of addressing the questions will typically take at least 300 words.  A few sentences or two short paragraphs won't be sufficient.   

5)  The entries must be completely free of spelling, grammar, and structure errors.  They must meet the standards of written college English.  Any entries that have spelling, grammar, and writing structure errors will not receive credit.  

6)  The entries must reflect a clear understanding of the arguments, concepts, principles, and distinctions that the philosopher in the video makes.  The entries must be long enough and detailed enough to reflect your understanding.

7) If you are in doubt, write more.  Take the opportunity to expand on the topic and questions under consideration.  Offer some of your own ideas in addition to addressing the project questions.  Entries that are only 5 sentences long, for example, will not receive credit.

During the semester, and at the end, I will review all of your entries and determine to what extent they have satisfied these criteria.  The grade on this portion of the coursework will be proportional.     

Academic Honesty Policy:

No cheating of any sort will be tolerated in this course. All sources in papers must be cited and given appropriate credit. The author of any information from the Internet or another student from class must be given credit; using such information without indicating the source is stealing someone else's hard work and it is immoral. Cutting and pasting someone else's work is not acceptable. It is also unacceptable to make minor revisions in language to disguise someone else's sentences/ideas. From the university policy manual: Plagiarism at Sacramento State includes but is not limited to:

The act of incorporating into one’s own work the ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs, or parts thereof, or the specific substance of another’s work without giving appropriate credit thereby representing the product as entirely one's own. Examples include not only word-for-word copying, but also the "mosaic" (i.e., interspersing a few of one’s own words while, in essence, copying another’s work), the paraphrase (i.e., rewriting another’s work while still using the other’s fundamental idea or theory); fabrication (i.e., inventing or counterfeiting sources), ghost-writing (i.e., submitting another’s work as one’s own) and failure to include quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged; and

Representing as one’s own another’s artistic or scholarly works such as musical compositions, computer programs, photographs, paintings, drawing, sculptures, or similar works.

Students are allowed to discuss lectures and even assignments with each other. Students are encouraged to collaborate on many assignments. But every students must do his or her own work. Be cautious of sharing your notes, ideas, work, assignments, or papers with other students. Once you have given them a copy of or access to your work, you cannot control what they might do with it. If two or more students' work are found to violate the policy, all of the students will receive the same punishment, even if one did the work and the other plagiarized.

Here is the university policy on academic honesty:

"The attempt by a student to cheat on an exam or other academic assignment or to engage in plagiarism is a violation of a fundamental principle of academic honesty and integrity and will not be tolerated in the University. Formal procedures exist for dealing with these cases and penalties will be imposed on students who are found guilty of academic dishonesty. In the event of expulsion, suspension or probation, a notation is made on the student’s transcript. Suspension and probation notations remain on the transcript for the life of the suspension/probation. For information, contact the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs."

All students will be responsible for reading and following the university honesty, plagiarism, and cheating policies. They are posted at:

http://www.csus.edu/umanual/AcademicHonestyPolicyandProcedures.htm

Students with Disabilities

If you have a disability and require accommodations, you need to provide disability documentation to SSWD, Lassen Hall 1008, 916-278-6955.

http://www.csus.edu/sswd/index.html  or sswd@csus.edu; (916) 278-6955; (916) 278-7239 (TTY).

Please discussion your accommodation needs with me after class or during my office hours early in the semester.