At the end of the course, students will be able to :
- define the fundamental concepts of argumentation and logic (inference, antecedent-consequent, framing, types of argument, figures of speech, etc.).
- identify and compare the main philosophical orientations regarding the roles, virtues and limits of argumentation and logic.
- analyze (and possibly criticize) an argument in natural language, either by transforming it into formal language, or with regard to the concepts of argumentation theory.
- trace the origins of rhetoric and logic, linking types of discourse to types of society and socio-cultural practices.
- take a critical look at current and older documents.
The course is divided into two parts: argumentation (30 hours) and logic (15 hours). With regard to the first, the course aims to give students a general overview of argumentation theory and enable them to use the concepts seen in the course to analyze and critique documents from multiple media. The second part of the course introduces students to formal logic. In particular, it emphasizes the transformation into formal language of arguments given in natural language. Although, for the sake of clarity, these two strands will be dealt with separately, both in the introduction and in the final sessions, they will tend to intersect, since we will address the points of contact between logic and argumentation.
See table of contents.
Part 1: Argumentation
Introduction: A variety of argumentative situations (A first approach to argumentation)
Section I. The origins of rhetoric and logic
Chapter 1: Cultures against rhetoric and logic
Chapter 2: The conditions for the emergence of rhetoric and logic
Section II. The rhetorical tree
Chapter 3: The three poles of rhetoric (Logos, pathos, ethos)
Chapter 4: The five tasks of rhetoric
Chapter 5: The places of rhetoric
Section III. The aims of argumentation
Chapter 6: War and peace (On agonistic and synergistic conceptions of argumentation)
Chapter 7: Lies and truth (On the relationship between argumentation and truth)
Chapter 8: Changing frames (On the relationship between argumentation and action)
Section IV. Figures of thought
Chapter 9: It's like nothing (On the concept of metaphor)
Chapter 10: From one to another (On the concept of metonymy)
Chapter 11: Styles of thinking (On figures of speech and types of argument)
Section V. The special question of argumentation
Chapter 12: Artificial argumentation (On the use of algorithms and the end of argumentation)
Part 2: Logic
Chapter 1: The syllogism
Chapter 2: Modal syllogisms
Chapter 3: The deontic syllogism
Chapter 4: The square of opposites
Chapter 5: Kelsen v. Perelman
Chapter 6: The restricted truth table
Chapter 7: Formalizing language
Chapter 8: The complete truth table
Chapter 9: The semantic schema
Chapter 10: Inductive logic
Chapter 11: Logical sophisms
Chapter 12: An ethics of logic?
This table of contents is given for information only and is subject to change.
Given in class.
Written exam:
- An exercise on the logic part (the student must, for example, transform a natural language statement into a formal language and analyze it, either according to the truth table method, or according to the semantic graph method) (5 points).
- Analysis of a recent or older argumentative document (5 points).
- Multiple-choice questions, text gaps or other short-answer questions on other parts of the course (10 points).
Given in class.
| Training | Study programme | Block | Credits | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor in Philosophy | Standard | 0 | 5 | |
| Bachelor in Modern Languages and Literatures: German, Dutch and English | Standard | 0 | 5 | |
| Bachelor in Law | Standard | 0 | 4 | |
| Bachelor in Philosophy | Standard | 1 | 5 | |
| Bachelor in Law | Standard | 2 | 4 | |
| Bachelor in Modern Languages and Literatures: German, Dutch and English | Standard | 3 | 5 |