FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND HIGHER EDUCATION LOGIC AND CRITICAL THINKING COURSE CODE: PHIL 1011 By: Teklay G. (AkU), Adane T. (MU), and Zelalem M. (HMU) Page 1 LOGIC AND CRITICAL THINKING MODULE COURSE CODE: PHIL101 COURSE CRDIT HOURS: 3 PREPARED BY: Mr. TEKLAY G/MESKEL (AKSUM UNIVERSITY) Mr. ADANE TEKLAY (MEKELLE UNIVERSITY) Mr. ZELALEM MAMO (HARAMAYA UNIVERSITY) AUGUST 2019 ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA By: Teklay G. (AkU), Adane T. (MU), and Zelalem M. (HMU) Page 2 ORGANIZATION OF THE MODULE: 1. Module Introduction: - Teklay G. (AkU) 2. Chapter One: - Teklay G. (AkU) 3. Chapter Two: - Teklay G. (AkU) 4. Chapter Three: - Adane T. (MU) 5. Chapter Four: - Zelalem M. (HMU) 6. Chapter Five: - Zelalem M. (HMU) 7. Chapter Six: - Adane T. (MU) By: Teklay G. (AkU), Adane T. (MU), and Zelalem M. (HMU) Page 3 Table of Contents COURSE INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 8 COURSE OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................ 10 CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................................................... 11 INTRODUCING PHILOSOPHY ............................................................................................................... 11 Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................................... 11 Lesson 1: Meaning and Nature of Philosophy ........................................................................................ 11 Lesson 2: Basic Features of Philosophy ................................................................................................. 15 Core Fields of Philosophy ....................................................................................................................... 19 Lesson 3: Metaphysics and Epistemology .............................................................................................. 19 3.1 Metaphysics ............................................................................................................................ 20 3.2 Epistemology .......................................................................................................................... 22 Lesson 4: Axiology and Logic ................................................................................................................ 26 4.1 Axiology ................................................................................................................................. 27 4.2 Logic ....................................................................................................................................... 30 Lesson 5: Importance of Learning Philosophy ....................................................................................... 31 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................... 33 Self Check Exercise ................................................................................................................................ 35 References ............................................................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER TWO ........................................................................................................................................ 37 BASIC CONCEPTS OF LOGIC ................................................................................................................ 37 Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................................... 37 Lesson 1: Basic Concepts of Logic: Arguments, Premises and Conclusions ......................................... 39 Lesson 2: Techniques of Recognizing Arguments.................................................................................. 48 2.1 Recognizing Argumentative Passages .................................................................................... 49 2.2 Recognizing Non-argumentative Passages ............................................................................. 52 Lesson 3: Types of Arguments: Deduction and Induction ...................................................................... 63 3.1 Deductive Arguments ............................................................................................................. 64 3.2 Inductive Arguments ............................................................................................................... 65 3.3 Differentiating Deductive and Inductive Arguments .............................................................. 66 By: Teklay G. (AkU), Adane T. (MU), and Zelalem M. (HMU) Page 4 Lesson 4: Evaluating Arguments ............................................................................................................ 73 4.1 Evaluating Deductive Arguments: Validity, Truth, and Soundness ....................................... 74 4.2 Evaluating Inductive Arguments: Strength, Truth, and Cogency ........................................... 79 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................... 84 Self Check Exercise ................................................................................................................................ 86 References ............................................................................................................................................... 87 CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................................................... 88 LOGIC AND LANGUAGE ....................................................................................................................... 88 Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................................... 88 Lesson 1: Philosophy of Language: An overview .................................................................................. 89 1.1 What is Philosophy of Language? .......................................................................................... 89 1.2 A Brief Note on the Debates and History of Philosophy of Language ................................... 90 1.3 Some Philosophical Approaches to the Nature of Meaning ................................................... 91 Lesson 2: Logic and Meaning ................................................................................................................. 93 2.1 The Functions of Language: Cognitive and Emotive Meanings ............................................. 93 2.2 The Intension and Extension of Terms ................................................................................. 100 Logic and Definition ............................................................................................................................. 104 Lesson 3: Meaning, Types, and Purposes of Definitions ...................................................................... 104 3.1 The Meaning of Definition ................................................................................................... 105 3.2 The Types and Purposes of Definitions ................................................................................ 105 Lesson 4: Techniques of Definition ...................................................................................................... 111 4.1 The Extensional (Denotative) Definitional Techniques ........................................................ 111 4.2 The Intensional (Connotative) Definitional Techniques ....................................................... 114 Lesson 5: Criteria for Lexical Definitions ............................................................................................ 118 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................. 123 Self Check Exercise .............................................................................................................................. 125 References ............................................................................................................................................. 126 CHAPTER FOUR ..................................................................................................................................... 127 BASIC CONCEPTS OF CRITICAL THINKING ................................................................................... 127 Lesson 1: Meaning of Critical Thinking ............................................................................................... 128 Lesson 2: Standards of Critical Thinking ............................................................................................. 132 By: Teklay G. (AkU), Adane T. (MU), and Zelalem M. (HMU) Page 5 Lesson 3: Codes of Intellectual Conduct for Effective Discussion ....................................................... 137 3.1 Principles of Good Argument ............................................................................................... 138 3.2 Principles of Critical Thinking .............................................................................................