Philosophy, Logic And Human Existence
Scope of philosophy; notions, meanings, branches and problems of philosophy. Logic as an indispensable tool of philosophy. Elements of syllogism, symbolic logic— the first nine rules of inference. Informal fallacies, laws of thought, nature of arguments. Valid and invalid arguments, logic of form…
Learning outcomes
A student who has successfully gone through this course should be able to: 1. know the basic features of philosophy as an academic discipline; 2. identify the main branches of philosophy & the centrality of logic in philosophical discourse; 3. know the elementary rules of reasoning; 4. distinguish between valid and invalid arguments; 5. think critically and assess arguments in texts, conversations and day-to-day discussions; 6. critically asses the rationality or otherwise of human conduct under different existential conditions; 7. develop the capacity to extrapolate and deploy expertise in logic to other areas of knowledge; and 8. guide his or her actions, using the knowledge and expertise acquired in philosophy and logic.
Course contents
Scope of philosophy; notions, meanings, branches and problems of philosophy. Logic as an indispensable tool of philosophy. Elements of syllogism, symbolic logic— the first nine rules of inference. Informal fallacies, laws of thought, nature of arguments. Valid and invalid arguments, logic of form and logic of content — deduction, induction and inferences. Creative 114 and critical thinking. Impact of philosophy on human existence. Philosophy and politics, philosophy and human conduct, philosophy and religion, philosophy and human values, philosophy and character molding, etc. Concept of humanity, its origin, philosophy and cosmic environment. Concepts and techniques in logic and critical thinking. Science and technology in human society and services. Renewable and non-renewable environmental resources. Climate change and the principle of sustainable development. Environmental effects of plastics, and other waste products. Elements of environmental studies for productive, safe and healthy living. Environmental challenges - urbanisation, environmental pollution and degradation, soil erosion, desert encroachment, soil degradation and flooding. National development plans towards sustainable environment. Trends in global action towards environmental sustainability.