In this course, students will use methods from logic and probability to study philosophical questions about the nature of reasoning and to analyze experiments about how humans reason. Students will learn to identify some common reasoning errors, learn to identify arguments and their parts, study the concepts used to evaluate arguments, and learn the basic elements of deductive logic and probability theory. There will be an emphasis on the relation between deductive logic, probability, and inductive logic. Class meetings will include lectures, discussions, and small group work. The goal is to develop a broad understanding of the principles that guide human reasoning.

Reasoning is a transition in thought, where some beliefs (or thoughts) provide grounds or reasons for coming to another. What makes certain transitions of thought rational or reasonable while others are considered irrational or erratic? This question has been a major focus of investigation in many different research areas, such as philosophy, logic, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and psychology. This course is an introduction to logic and probability with a focus on understanding applications to the study of the foundations of human reasoning. There will be readings from the different disciplines mentioned above; however, no prior knowledge of any of these fields is presupposed.