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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2018/2019

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Philosophy

Undergraduate Course: Logic 2: Modal Logics (PHIL10162)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course is a follow-on course to Logic 1 focusing predominantly on modal extensions of classical propositional and first-order logic. Modal logic is standardly known as the logic of necessity and possibility, but this course will also focus on so-called deontic logic (the logic of obligations and permissions), epistemic logic (the logic of knowledge), and possibly temporal logic (the logic of time).
Course description The aim of the course is to cover a range of so-called modal extensions of classical propositional and first-order logic. Modal logic is traditionally characterized as the logic of necessity and possibility both of which are crucial notions in philosophy in general. However, the modal systems originally developed to provide rigorous explications of necessity and possibility (and contingency, impossibility, etc.) were later used to characterize a wide array of other central notions in philosophy, e.g. knowledge, belief, obligation, permission, time, and change.
In the first part of this course, we will focus on the standard Kripke semantics for normal modal logics covering systems such as K, T, B, S4, and S5 (including fragments of modal predicate logic). We will then briefly consider a range of so-called non-normal modal logics and then proceed to a discussion of natural deduction and axiomatic proof systems. In addition, various meta-theoretical results may be discussed.
In the second part of the course, we will focus on extensions of modal logic, mainly deontic and epistemic logic (but also potentially temporal and dynamic logic). We will explore how notions such as obligation/permission and knowledge/belief can be explicated in formal terms and how the resulting logics can be used to shed light on core philosophical problems. For example, we will use deontic logic to characterise (and solve) some apparent puzzles about obligations and permissions, and we will use epistemic logic to provide precise characterisations of important closure principles in epistemology and various paradoxes (e.g. Moore¿s paradox and Fitch¿s paradox of knowability).
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Logic 1 (PHIL08004)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations It is RECOMMENDED that students do NOT also take
Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students are welcome (assuming they have completed the equivalent of Logic 1).
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2018/19, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  0
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 32, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 164 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Assignment 1: 20%
Assignment 2: 30%
Final exam: 50%
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)2:00
Academic year 2018/19, Part-year visiting students only (VV1) Quota:  8
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 32, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 164 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Assignment 1: 20%
Assignment 2: 30%
Final exam: 50%
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. A comprehensive understanding of the syntax and semantics of standard modal logics.
  2. Acquaintance with various standard modal systems.
  3. Understanding how proof methods such as natural deduction and axiomatic systems work with respect to proofs involving modalized sentences.
  4. Understanding the important relation between deontic, epistemic, and temporal logic.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsLogic,Modality,Necessity,Possibility,Semantics.
Contacts
Course organiserDr Wolfgang Schwarz
Tel:
Email: Wolfgang.Schwarz@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Ann-Marie Cowe
Tel: (0131 6)50 3961
Email: Annmarie.Cowe@ed.ac.uk
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