Philosophy, Logic and Human Existence

At the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. know the basic features of philosophy as an academic discipline; 2. identify the main branches of philosophy & the centrality of logic in philosophical discourse; 3. know the elementary rules of reasoning; 4. distinguish between valid and invalid arguments; 5. think critically and assess arguments in texts, conversations and day-to-day discussions; 6. critically asses the rationality or otherwise of human conduct under different existential conditions; 7. develop the capacity to extrapolate and deploy expertise in logic to other areas of knowledge, and 8. guide his or her actions, using the knowledge and expertise acquired in philosophy and logic.

Scope of philosophy; notions, meanings, branches and problems of philosophy. Logic as an indispensable tool of philosophy. Elements of syllogism, symbolic logic— the first nine rules of inference. Informal fallacies, laws of thought, nature of arguments. Valid and invalid arguments, logic of form and logic of content — deduction, induction and inferences. Creative and critical thinking. Impact of philosophy on human existence. Philosophy and politics, philosophy and human conduct, philosophy and religion, philosophy and human values, philosophy and character molding.