Logic has principally concerned itself with understanding the structure and form of argumentation, the conditions which must necessarily exist in order for a conclusion to follow from a set of other statements. It is, then, a formal study of argumentation. But that does not remove it from real life. In a democracy, where we all share in the governing, argument has been the primary means of shaping our country. The study of logic can help free us from the domination of such demagogues, by teaching us to recognize good argument and also by making us aware of manipulators' verbal tricks.
Deductive logic examines arguments in which the conclusion necessarily follows from the premises.
E.g., All human beings are mortal, and Socrates is a human being, so therefore, Socrates is mortal. Inductive logic is concerned with cases where the premises of the argument do not lead to a necessary conclusion. E.g., All the ravens I have seen are black, so therefore, all ravens are black. Most classes will be spent discussing the readings and working problems together. Attendance is required only for the quizzes.