This course will introduce you to formal logic and its relationship to informal reasoning. We will study two formal logical systems: propositional logic and first order logic. In each case, we will learn how to translate between English and our logical system and assess the validity of arguments. You will learn a proof system and semantics for both logics. In addition, you will get a glimpse of the history and conceptual foundations of logic. Modern classical logic is only one among many systems of logic. Other logics have been invented and studied in various cultures and by different logicians based on their conceptions of the goal and scope of logic. One of the objectives of this course is to help you appreciate this diversity. 

Can the advancement of technology make humans immortal? If so is this a desirable outcome?  Can robots become conscious? Is it OK for humans to terraform Mars? These are questions imposed on us by modern technology, but answering them force us to confront some age-old philosophical questions. What is consciousness? What grounds personal identity? What are our responsibilities towards the natural world? In this course, we will tackle some of these questions with reference to older philosophical texts as well as modern examinations of these modern technologies, 

In this course, we consider the question of personal identity, from the point of view of different cultures and philosophical traditions. What are persons and selves? What makes you the same person throughout the course of your life? The question is not just theoretical. Our conception of our nature as human beings and as moral agents has many practical implications for how we live. In the second part of the course, we will examine some of the social aspects of our identities such as gender and race.