Introduction to Logic

Logic I, (FLFI.04.024)

Logic I introduces the systems of propositional logic and first order predicate logic and their respective model theoretic semantics and deductive systems. It is explained how logic is used to reconstruct and analyse arguments and the semantics of natural language.

Logic for Philosophy (FLFI.04.015)

What you always wanted to know about logic but were ashamed to ask

This course, based on Ted Siders Logic for Philosophy, is an introduction to logic for students of contemporary philosophy. It covers i) basic approaches to logic, including proof theory and especially model theory, ii) extensions of standard logic (such as modal logic) that are important in philosophy, and iii) some elementary philosophy of logic. It prepares students to read the logically sophisticated articles in today’s philosophy journals, and helps them resist bullying by symbol-mongerers. In short, it teaches the logic you need to know in order to be a contemporary philosopher.

Logical and Epistemic Pluralism

Postgraduate Seminar

The aim is to acquire an overview of one main problem in contemporary analytic philosophy of logic and some of the key notions connected to it, such as the different notions of logical pluralism, different notions of logic and logical consequence. The seminar is meant as a preparation for the 2008 Gottlob Frege Lectures, and the conference on Logical Pluralism taking place in Tartu in August 2008.

Nominalism in the Philosophy of Mathematics

with Alan Baker (Swarthmore, USA)

Nominalism (as it is used in the philosophy of mathematics) is the view that mathematical objects do not exist. In this seminar (taking place in the spring term 2007) we will begin with a close look at the motivations for nominalism. After that we will consider the different aims a nominalist might have and some of the strategies to counter the Quine/Putnam indispensability argument and to argue for a coherent nominalism.

Philosophy of Logic

Seminar with Juho Ritola

In this seminar we want to introduce and discuss the main problems in the philosophy of logic and the contemporary approaches to these. The seminar takes place in autumn term 2006.

Information and Information Flow

The lecture "Information Flow" (Düsseldorf 2001/2002) and "Situation Semantics and the Flow of Information" (ESSLLI in Trento, Italy 2002) were both taught in cooperation with Manuel Bremer. They were the basis for our book Information and Information Flow: An Introduction.

Language, Proof, and Logic

Barwise/Etchemendy

With the help of a generous research grant from the North-Rhine Westfalia Ministry of Education, we were able to carry out some research on the efficiency of computer aided logic courses at the universities of Düsseldorf and Duisburg. This research was done together with Stefan Bagusche and Marcus Rossberg. Here are the materials for the courses we taught.

Identity and Persistence

Graduate course (together with Volker Beeh) on the logic and metaphysics of identity claims from winter 01/02, Düsseldorf.