Philosophy MA/BSc/MA(SocSci)
Formal Logic PHIL4014
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Humanities
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
- Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
This course introduces students to the meta-theory of propositional and predicate logic.
Timetable
16x 1hr lectures, 4x 1hr seminars over 10 weeks as scheduled in MyCampus. This is one of the honours options in Philosophy and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available in MyCampus.
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ A two-hour examination worth 70%;
■ two take home assignments worth 15% each.
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ There are no alternatives to the exam, but extra time can be offered as reasonable adjustment.
■ There are no alternatives to the assignments, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions).
Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor. 
Main Assessment In: April/May
Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable
It is the default expectation that all courses will offer opportunities for reassessment or deferred assessment. Where it is not possible to offer this in some assessment components, the grade achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade, and any exceptions for this course are described below.
[No exceptions]
Course Aims
This course aims to:
• Provide students a firm understanding of proofs in propositional and predicate logic;
• Introduce students to the meta-theory of propositional and predicate logic;
•Provide students opportunities to complete their own proofs in these systems.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
• Use the method of proof by induction on length of formula and length of proof;
• Find a formula in disjunctive normal form for any given truth table;
• Determine whether a set of connectives is expressively adequate;
• Prove propositional sequents and simple sequents of predicate logic;
• Prove the soundness and completeness theorems for propositional logic;
• Explain the main ideas in Tarski's truth definition for predicate logic and the soundness and completeness theorems for predicate logic.
· Explain the main ideas in the soundness and completeness theorems for predicate logic;
· Determine simple properties of binary relations.