PY 100 - Critical Thinking

Credit Hours: 3

An informal or non-symbolic logic course which focuses on improving the ability to think and argue coherently through increasing critical awareness. Logical distinctions and principles which aid in the understanding, criticism and construction of arguments are employed.

Fulfills SUNY General Education – Humanities.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

define argument, deductive validity, soundness;
explain the role of deductive validity in scientific and non-scientific explanations;
define the concept of deductively valid argument form. Identify the forms of individual valid arguments;
determine logical relationships between statements, and test argument forms for validity;
define the concepts of necessary and sufficient conditions;
define the distinction between analytic and synthetic sentences;
distinguish between kinds of meaning of words and sentences. Such as extension (denotation), intension reference, use, secondary extension as well as related linguistics and grammatical distinctions; and
describe the Goodman paradox and the Gettier condition on knowledge.

F/S (C, N, S)