This course is part of the Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking Specialization

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Dr. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong +1 more instructor

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Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking SpecializationDuke University

About this Course

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Deductive arguments are supposed to be valid in the sense that the premises guarantee that the conclusion is true. In this course, you will learn how to use truth-tables and Venn diagrams to represent the information contained in the premises and conclusion of an argument so that you can determine whether or not the argument is deductively valid.  
Suggested Readings:
Students who want more detailed explanations or additional exercises or who want to explore these topics in more depth should consult Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic, Ninth Edition, Concise, Chapters 6 and 7 by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Robert Fogelin.

Course Format:
Each week will be divided into multiple video segments that can be viewed separately or in groups. There will be short ungraded quizzes after each segment (to check comprehension) and a longer graded quiz at the end of the course.

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Course 2 of 4 in the

Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 12 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Course 2 of 4 in the

Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 12 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.24/5 (56 Ratings)

Dr. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong

Dr. Ram Neta

Offered by

Duke University

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating89%(1,856 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

15 minutes to complete

Welcome to the Course

Welcome to Think Again: How to Reason Deductively! This course is the second in the specialization Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking, based on our original Coursera course titled Think Again: How to Reason and Argue. We are excited that you are taking this course, and we hope that you will stick around for all four courses in the series, because there is a great deal of important material to learn.In the series as a whole, you will learn how to evaluate deductive arguments. What is it for a deductive to be “valid”? And how can you tell the difference between deductive arguments that are valid and those that aren’t? In this course, we will answer these questions. The first part of this course introduces the series and the course. It also clarifies some peculiarities you may find with this course. We encourage you to watch the "Introduction to the Specialization" video first as it will help you learn more from the materials that come later.

15 minutes to complete

1 video (Total 5 min), 1 reading

6 hours to complete

Propositional Logic and Truth Tables

CONTENT: This week we will teach you how such phrases as “and”, “or”, “if”, and “not” can work to guarantee the validity or invalidity of the deductive arguments in which they occur. It will also teach you to understand the functioning of these phrases using a device called a “truth-table”, which shows how the truth or falsity of propositions that use these phrases depends upon the truth or falsity of the propositions contained within it. We highly recommend that you practice the skills that you will learn in this week by doing the puzzles at betapuzzle.sonjara.com.LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of this week’s material you will be able to :<ul><li>define what a deductive argument is</li><li>define what it is for a deductive argument to be valid</li><li>identify truth-functional operators and connectives</li><li>build a truth-table for any truth-functional operator or connective</li></ul>OPTIONAL READING: If you want more examples or more detailed discussions of these topics, we recommend Understanding Arguments, Ninth Edition, Chapter 6.

6 hours to complete

14 videos (Total 109 min)

14 videos

Introduction to Deductive Logic10mPropositions and Propositional Connectives4m"And" and the Truth-Functional Connectives10mUsing Truth Tables to Show Validity5mRules Variables and Generality12mDisjunction10mCombining Conjunctions and Disjunctions6mNegation and Truth Functional Operators7mNegating Conjunctions and Disjunctions3mCommutativity and Associativity10mThe Conditional14mConditionals in Ordinary Language3mBiconditionals7mConclusion1m

8 practice exercises

"And" and the Truth-Functional Connectives30mUsing Truth Tables to Show Validity30mDisjunction30mNegation and Truth Functional Operators30mNegating Conjuctions and Disjunctions30mThe Conditional30mConditionals in Ordinary Language30mBiconditionals30m

Week2

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Categorical Logic and Syllogisms

CONTENT: This week will teach you how such phrases as “all”, “some”, and “none” can work to guarantee the validity or invalidity of the deductive arguments in which they occur. It will also teach you to understand the functioning of these phrases using a device called a “Venn Diagram”, which shows how the truth or falsity of propositions that use these phrases depends upon the truth or falsity of other propositions that use these phrases. We highly recommend that you practice the skills that you will learn in this week by doing the puzzles at http://philgames-neta.apps.unc.eduLEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of this week’s material you will be able to : <ul><li>understand the information conveyed by a truth-table</li><li>use truth-tables to determine whether a deductive argument is valid</li><li>identify quantifiers and categories</li><li>build a Venn Diagram for any statement using quantifiers or categories</li></ul>OPTIONAL READING: If you want more examples or more detailed discussions of these topics, we recommend Understanding Arguments, Ninth Edition, Chapter 7.

4 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 84 min)

8 videos

Categorical Logic10mCategories and Quantifiers17mHow Quantifiers Modify Categories9mImmediate Categorical Inferences10mSyllogisms9mCategories, Individuals, and Language4mVenn Diagrams and Validity13mOther Ways of Expressing A, E, I, or O Propositions7m

5 practice exercises

How Quantifiers Modify Categories30mImmediate Categorical Inferences30mSyllogisms30mCategories, Individuals, and Language30mVenn Diagrams and Validity30m

Week3

Week 3

1 hour to complete

Representing Information

CONTENT: This week we will teach you how to use the tools that you’ve learned about in the preceding modules in order to represent information. Information can be communicated in very different ways – by means of different languages or signaling systems – but no matter how that information is communicated, it can be important to use that information in reasoning. In this week, you will learn how to reason from information that is communicated directly by means of truth-tables or Venn Diagrams.LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of this week's material you will be able to: <ul><li>understand the information conveyed by a Venn Diagram</li><li>use Venn Diagram to determine whether a deductive argument is valid</li>

1 hour to complete

2 videos (Total 27 min)

Week4

Week 4

1 hour to complete

Catch-Up and Final Quiz

This week gives you time to catch up and review, because we realize that the previous weeks include a great deal of challenging material. It will also be provide enough time to take the final quiz as often as you want, with different questions each time. We explain the answers in each exam so that you can learn more and do better when you try the exam again. You may take the quiz as many times as you want in order to learn more and do better, with different questions each time. You will be able to retake the quiz three times every eight hours. You might not need to take more than one version of the exam if you do well enough on your first try. That is up to you. However many versions you take, we hope that all of the exams will provide additional learning experiences.

1 hour to complete

Reviews

4.3

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1 star
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TOP REVIEWS FROM THINK AGAIN II: HOW TO REASON DEDUCTIVELY

by RRJun 6, 2020

While still a very useful course, the material was less interesting to me personally than the first module. However it was still very rewarding and I enjoyed the instructor's lectures!

by YBFeb 7, 2022

The optional discussions are kind of difficult. Didn't see much discussions from it. It would be great if professors can give some answers for that.

by TFFeb 19, 2020

Somewhat confusing at certain points. The explanations don't exactly track the exercises that follow it. However, it is overall a useful course.

by DWSep 12, 2016

A good continuation of Think Again I. However, final quiz had lots of bugs in it.

View all reviews

About the Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking Specialization

By taking Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking you will improve your ability to identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments by other people (including politicians, used car salesmen, and teachers) and also to construct arguments of your own in order to convince others and to help you decide what to believe or do. This specialization introduces general standards of good reasoning and offers tools to improve your critical thinking skills. These skills will help you determine when an argument is being given, what its crucial parts are, and what it assumes implicitly. You will also learn how to apply deductive and inductive standards for assessing arguments and how to detect and avoid fallacies.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Will I receive a transcript from Duke University for completing this course?
No. Completion of a Coursera course does not earn you academic credit from Duke; therefore, Duke is not able to provide you with a university transcript. However, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

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Think Again II: How to Reason Deductively

About this Course