Emphasis is on the construction and evaluation of arguments. Surveys several forms of argument including inductive, deductive, analogical and legal reasoning. Considers the types of knowledge, individual and social values, the nature of reality and the existence of God. The study of formal deductive reasoning, course covers the nature of argument, Aristotelian term logic, stentential logic, predicate logic and quantification and proof theory.
Students construct formal proofs and translate from natural language into logical formulas.
Investigates moral issues that arise in such medical contexts as human experimentation, death and dying, medical care and its distribution, genetic engineering and the definition of health and illness. Moral concepts are applied in analyzing situations. Utilitarianism, Kantianism and contemporary Egalitarianism are introduced as aids in decision making. General principles and concrete cases considered. Reviews theories such as relativism, utilitarianism and Kantianism.