FS4253 - LOGIC AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

courses

ID:

FS4253

Duration (hours):

72

CFU:

SSD:

LOGICA E FILOSOFIA DELLA SCIENZA

Located in:

CHIETI

Url:

Course Details:

PHILOSOPHY AND EDUCATION SCIENCES/CORSO GENERICO Year: 2

Year:

2025

Course Catalogue:

https://unich.coursecatalogue.cineca.it/af/2025?co...

Date/time interval

Secondo Semestre (01/03/2026 - 31/05/2026)

Course Objectives

The course consists of a general part and a monographic part. The general part deals with central themes in the traditional debate of philosophy of science and introduces the study of propositional logic (formalization of reasoning through the use of symbols and rules, truth values of a proposition, validity of a deductive argument, and so on). The monographic part of the course explores a topic closely linked to the study of logical reasoning. We will analyze the most recent research findings in the psychology of reasoning related to studies on rationality.

Course Prerequisites

no prerequisites

Teaching Methods

Frontal lessons conducted with the aid of slides as visual support for the discussion of topics and with classroom exercises for the logic part.

Assessment Methods

Written test consisting of 28 multiple-choice questions (1 point for each correct answer, 0 points for incorrect or missing answers) and 2 open-ended questions (0 to 3 points).

Texts

Samir Okasha, Philosophy of Science: Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2016 (second edition).
Irving Copi and Carl Cohen, Introduction to Logic, Prentice Hall, Inc.,1998 – capitol I,X,XI
Paolo Labinaz, La razionalità, Carocci editore, 2013

General part:

Introduction to propositional logic; formalization of reasoning through the use of symbols and rules that allow the truth or falsity of complex propositions derived from simple propositions to be evaluated, using logical connectives;
Semantics and syntax of propositional logic, truth tables, validity or invalidity of deductive arguments established through the truth table method.
The method of deduction: formal proof of validity.
What is science?
Scientific reasoning.
Explanation in science.
Realism and anti-realism.
Change and revolution in science.

Monographic part:

A traditional overview on the concept of reason and rationality.
The empirical turn in studies of rationality.
A rationality on a human scale.
The present and future of studies of rationality.

Course Language

Italian and English

More information

The same examination procedures outlined above apply to non-attending students. Non-attending students take the same exam as attending students, as the material discussed in class is available on the course Moodle platform at the end of each lesson. For any questions please do not hesitate to contact the professor: tvista3@gmail.com (preferred email address); or tiziana.vistarini@unich.it (institutional email address)