Philosophy of Logic, Hilary Term 2017

Below is the (provisional) schedule for a course of lectures for the Final Honour School paper 108, Philosophy of Logic and Language. The lectures will provide an introduction to various papers in the philosophy of logic, taking Tarski’s work on truth and logical consequence as a starting point. Key readings — and handouts, as they become available — are provided for each topic.

1. Tarski on Truth

Key reading: Alfred Tarski (1944) ‘The Semantic Conception of Truth’ in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 4(3), pp. 341-76.

Handout (pdf)

2. Kripke on Truth

Key reading: Saul Kripke (1975) ‘Outline of a Theory of Truth’ in Journal of Philosophy 72(19), pp. 690-716. Reprinted in his (2011) Philosophical Troubles (OUP).

Reading List (pdf), Slides (html, pdf)

3. The Liar Paradox

Key reading: JC Beall, Michael Glanzberg, and David Ripley (2011/16) ‘Liar Paradox’ in E. Zalta, ed. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Reading List (pdf), Slides (html, pdf)

4. Logical Consequence: Introduction

Key reading: Alfred Tarski (1936) ‘On the Concept of Logical Consequence’ in his (1983) Logic, Semantics, Metamathematics, 2nd revised edition (Hackett).

Reading List (pdf), Slides (html, pdf)

5. Logical Consequence: Model-Theoretic Accounts

Key reading: John Etchemendy (2008) ‘Reflections on Consequence’ in Douglas Patterson, ed. New Essays on Tarski and Philosophy (OUP).

Reading List (pdf), Slides (html, pdf)

6. Logical Consequence: Proof-Theoretic Accounts

Key reading: Arthur Prior (1960) ‘The Runabout Inference-Ticket’ in Analysis 21(2), pp. 38-39.

Reading List (pdf), Slides (html, pdf)

7. Logical Pluralism

Key reading: JC Beall and Greg Restall (2000) ‘Logical Pluralism’ in Australasian Journal of Philosophy 78(4), pp. 475-493.

Reading List (pdf), Slides (html, pdf)

8. Logic and Reasoning

Key reading: Gilbert Harman (1986) Change in View: Principles of Reasoning (MIT Press), Ch. 1 and 2.

Reading List (pdf), Slides (html, pdf)

Some Useful Resources

Alexis P. Burgess and John P. Burgess (2010) Truth (Princeton UP)
Jennifer Fisher (2007) On the Philosophy of Logic (Wadsworth)
Dale Jacquette, ed. (2001) Philosophy of Logic: An Anthology (Blackwell)
W. V. O. Quine (1986) Philosophy of Logic, 2nd edition (Harvard UP)
Stephen Read (1994) Thinking about Logic (OUP)
Mark Sainsbury (2000) Logical Forms, 2nd edition (Blackwell)
Alfred Tarski (1983) Logic, Semantics, and Metamathematics, 2nd revised edition (Hackett)