Category: Logic & Reasoning

Formal Logic: Symbolizing Arguments in Quantificational or Predicate Logic

Rudolf Carnap’s notes on Gottlob Frege’s Begriffsschrift, the progenitor of modern quantificational logic.
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 1 Comment

Author: Timothy Eshing Category: Logic and Reasoning Word count: 1000 Editor’s note: for many readers, this essay would be more profitably read after reading Formal Logic: Symbolizing Arguments in Sentential Logic by Thomas Metcalf. There are many varieties of formal logic of varying complexity. Here we survey one that’s somewhat more complex than sentential or … Continue reading Formal Logic: Symbolizing Arguments in Quantificational or Predicate Logic

Pascal’s Wager: A Pragmatic Argument for Belief in God

Pascal's wager image: person praying in front of a pile of poker chips.
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 8 Comments

Author: Liz Jackson Categories: Philosophy of Religion, Epistemology, Historical Philosophy, Logic and Reasoning Word Count: 996 Should you believe there’s a God? To answer this, we might examine arguments for theism—like first-cause and design arguments—and arguments for atheism—like arguments from evil. These arguments offer evidence for and against God’s existence.[1] Pascal’s wager, originally proposed by … Continue reading Pascal’s Wager: A Pragmatic Argument for Belief in God

Epistemic Injustice

~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 7 Comments

Author: Huzeyfe Demirtas Categories: Epistemology, Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Sex and Gender, Philosophy of Race, Logic and Reasoning Wordcount: 996 Suppose a jury rejects a Black defendant’s testimony because they believe that Black people are often untrustworthy. Or suppose the male members of a board reject a female colleague's suggestions because they … Continue reading Epistemic Injustice

Dutch Book Arguments

A mural of Dutch books on a building in Utrecht, Netherlands.
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 3 Comments

Author: Daniel Peterson Categories: Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, Logic and Reasoning Word Count: 1000 Philosophers looking to support a position about how certain we ought to be of some belief, given our other beliefs, sometimes take advantage of Dutch book arguments. These arguments show that alternative positions lead to accepting a series of bets, each … Continue reading Dutch Book Arguments