Logic & Dialectic

Preceding and underlying our ability to speak is our ability to think. Whereas the science of grammar deals with the spoken word, the science of logic deals with the language of the mind: the meanings behind those words. As humans, we use our intellect daily. We can either do so efficiently and correctly, or inefficiently and with error.

The primary aim of this course is for students to acquire the three parts of traditional formal logic that correspond to the three acts of the mind: conceptualization, judgment, and argumentation. Acquisition of the formal rules and structures of these three parts of formal logic will aid the student in thinking, reading, and writing clearly, efficiently, and free from error.

After completing formal logic, students begin dialectic (munāẓara), a science developed by Islamic scholars that investigates the forms of proper argumentation. The aim of dialectic is to seek out the truth — not egotistically to defeat an opponent, which is all too prevalent today on television and social media. In essence, it is the application of formal logic in an actual argument. It gives students a method by which to practice and perfect the logic they learned in the first semester. This science is necessary for studying Islamic texts, which adopted the terminology and style of dialectic especially in the later tradition.

Students will then examine important issues in material logic. Material logic is the study of the matter or content of logical reasoning, not just the form or structure of that reasoning, which is covered in formal logic. It is a blend of epistemology, philosophy, ontology, and metaphysics. We investigate topics such as the logical fallacies and the ten categories, as well as other philosophical issues that underlie the relationship between thought, language, and the external world.