Courses

University at Buffalo, Spring 2004
Spring 2004 Schedule:
     PHI 329            Metaphysics                  T,Th 9:30-10:50 am          440 Park
     PHI 315            Symbolic Logic             T,Th 12:30-1:50 pm          101 Baldy (Kiva)
Spring 2004 Office Hours:
       11-12 T, Th and gladly by appointment other times.

PHI 315   Symbolic Logic
                 Syllabus
                 Current Assignments, March- Last Class Day in April (posted 23 March 2004)
                 NO CLASS Th April 8th:  Turn in homework by 5 pm to David Rodriguez
                       Dept. Philosophy Office  135 Park Hall
                 Introduction to Prolog (posted 31 March 2004)
                      Forward Inference Machine in Prolog F-INFER5
                 Current Assignments, Feb-March (posted 17 Feb 2004) 
                 OLDER ASSIGNMENTS:
                 Assignments through mid Feb (revised 5 Feb 2004)
                          Test postponed to 12 Feb; new homework due 10 Feb.
                 Symbolization Exercises [Handout]
                 Worked Deductions [p. 18, 1 (b) and 1(f)]
                 Worked Deductions [p. 27-8 1. a,c,e,g,i]
                 1 Page of Propositional Rules to be handed out at Test Feb 12 
                 Finally! the Lemmon with Quantifiers
                        The DEDUCTION PROCESSOR version 85b
                        Improved version of application alone, to be used with support
                           files for the above zipped files: DEDUCTION PROCESSOR 87b
                    Short instructions: download, unzip files, place in a NEW folder
                           that you remember.  Locate and Run using Start + Run or
                           Windows Explorer
                           Clicking the "Program Package" will allow you to download a "zipped" file.
                               1.  Choose a location to save the ZIP program. 
                               2.  If given the option, choose to "Open" the file: this will activate a utility
                                    like Winzip.
                               3.  Choose to "extract" all the files--in some older unzipping utilities you must
                                    select all files (so they're highlighted) then click "Extract."                   
                               4.  You have to choose or create a directory where to store the program and
                                    its support files. 
                              5.  Run the program "*.exe"in this path: you may have to use 
                                   the START bar (then choose "Run" and "Browse") or Windows Explorer
                                   to locate and run (double click) the program.
                              6.  Hold off on giving me bug reports since I'll find many myself.  You can save
                                   your work with the "File" menu option: it will come out as worklog.txt and can
                                   be opened and printed with Notepad.  There are still some peculiarities and
                                   ancient or inappropriate documentation (under Help).  Generally, hints won't
                                   work; still mostly to the Lemmon Propositional problems.
                                 
PHI 329   Metaphysics
                Syllabus
                Assignments   March to End of Semester in April
                NO CLASS Th April 8th.  Papers due Tuesday April 13th
                Assignments (mid-Feb. to Spring Break March 12) & Answers to Test 10 Feb
                Feb. 19                   Read: W.V. Quine, “On What There Is”    Be prepared for a short reading quiz.
                Feb. 24                   Read W.V. Quine, “Meaning and Truth”   Be prepared for a short reading quiz.
                Feb  26                   Individuals, particulars, concreta and substance
                                        Read: 371-376 + J. van Cleve, “Three Versions of the Bundle Theory”
                                        Be prepared for a short reading quiz.   Handout on relations distributed.
                      OLDER ASSIGNMENTS:
             Class Notes Jan 13-15 
             Assignments [into mid Feb. posted Jan 29, 2004)

           
University at Buffalo, Fall 2003

PHI 321  The Philosophy of the Natural Sciences  M W F 3-3:50  322 Clemens
                Syllabus (as of August 22, 2003)
                Final Assignments, Nov-Dec (posted Nov 10).
                A computer program executing the equation  in R. May's essay on chaos theory 
                   in It Must be Beautiful Great Equations in Modern Science pp. 29-30.
                   Click and save, then open.
                Anybody know of other programs on the web that display the generating
                   equations?

PHI 416  Logical Theory 2, M W, 1200-1350/
PHI 519  Topics In Logic, M W, 1200-1350   Park 141 (Undergraduate and Graduate
                Course meet together and share syllabus).
                Syllabus (as of August 22, 2003)
                Assignments (Nov, Dec, posted Nov 10)
                Review Questions for Final Test, Dec 8
                      Set 1
                      Set 2
                Word version of Powerpoint Dec 1-3
               
                "Tree" Method of showing unsatisfiability (and thus
                          logical consequence).  The "trees" themselves are here.
                Homework due in class  Nov. 10
                   1.  Write a 1-page, typed "review"/evaluation of the
                        essay-book review on infinity in the current issue of
                        The New Yorker (distributed in class)
                   2.  Examine carefully part "A" of the theorem connecting
                        logical consequence and unsatisfiability (in class and here) and
                        give  a proof of the "B" part of the theorem--handwritten
                        or typed.  
                Homework due Oct 27th
                Notes on Halting Problem and reduction in reading Chs. 4-6-7.
                      Sample Definitions of key terms.
                      Answers to ReTake of Test Oct 17
                Homework assignment due Oct 20th.
                     Correspondence with students about this homework.
                An enumeration to think about for class, Oct. 8:
                       Describe a scheme for enumerating all the wffs of propositional logic, such that for every integer (1,2,3,…) there is a wff, and for every wff there is a (finite) integer.  That is, describe a way to set up 1-1 correspondence between the integers and all the wffs of propositional logic such that we will eventually encounter every wff.  To make things a little simpler, you may consider only the wffs generated by the connectives ‘~’ and ‘v’.
                    Test Questions for test on September 29th (Posted 12 OCT 2003)
                (Selected) Answers to Test September 29th (Posted 12 OCT 2003)
               Turing Machine 7 Program. Updated Oct 7 2003.  This is a simple, self-contained downloadable
                     application.  Save it wherever you like, but remember where that is, and then use
                     Windows Explorer or "RUN" from the Start Bar to launch it.  
                For Test Sept  29th:
                    Theoretical Study Questions  [Revised and expanded Fri Sep 26th]
                    Sample Sorites from Lewis Carroll (study exercises for the
                                    test Sep 29th on Aristotelian logic)
                    Graduated Translation exercises in Quant. Logic, with answers.
                    Deductions of Ex. # 42 and 43 from Propositional Computer Program
                    Email Correspondence on Soundness- and Completeness- Questions
                Hints for Homework due Monday Sept 15 (propositional arguments
                     #39 and #41).
                 Rules of Inference for Propositional Logic (for use with Program package below)
                 Rules of Inference for Predicate Logic
 
    REVISED Predicate Logic Package 46b [as of Sept 20, 2003]
               quantargs.txt       [Corrected September 13, 2003, Corrections
                                          through Sept 20 are reflected in 46b.]
    Predicate Logic Package 41b          [Old: As of September 7, 2003]
Directions:  Click on the above link.  Choose the option to SAVE the file rather than Open it.
This will download a zipped file of about 2.71 mB.  It takes about 30 seconds with a cable
modem but may take many minutes with a telephone modem.  Now OPEN the file once it's
saved on your computer (or double click it from Windows Explorer).   An UnZip utility should 
appear: click, "Extract all files."  Extract them to a newly created folder (& remember its name).
At this point you only need to launch the Setup program (use Windows Explorer again to launch the executable file in that folder if you need to.)
     The SETUP utility does not work perfectly and you may have to copy and paste these support files TXT (text files readable and modifiable by Notepad or Word) into the same directory as the program:
                quantargs.txt
                quantargs2.txt
                docbasic.txt
                doclca.txt
     At this point you should be able to run the program from your START button. Follow the directions in the HELP taskbar, or just experiment.
     The program is still a little buggy, but now includes all of a complete system of propositional logic and predicate logic.   You can save work but it is not advisable to print out work from the program's FILE menu.  Instead, save it and print out the WORKLOG.TXT file using Microsoft's Notepad or Word.  You might have to use a search utility to find this file in an obscure place in your directory (folder) structure.  You might print out and read the docbasic.txt and doclca.txt files (using Word or Notepad).
      Let me know if you have run this program, if it downloaded and booted up correctly, and if you encountered any runtime errors (RRDip@aol.com).
 
Aristotelian Logic:
                Rules of Inference
                Semantics for Aristotelian Logic
                Notes (Overheads) on Grammaticality in Aristotelian Logic (25,27 Aug)
                Homework assigned 27 AUG, due 2 SEP.   Send questions and report
                      difficulties to the instructor between now and 8 am 2 SEP. Useful
                      replies to general difficulties will be posted here.  REMEMBER to
                      use "Save to File" on the FILE menu to store your work when
                      using the computer program!
                Friday, 29 SEP  1pm, Department Library (142 Park)  Review Session,
                        Homework workshop, etc.  Come with questions!      
Logic Programs (to Download)
        Aristotelian Logic Program Package              [As of August 26 2003]
             As of Aug 26 AM, this has been updated and seems to  work; the missing
             file as it turned out was AArgs14.txt, which was only for the last problem set.
             One lingering peculiarity is that it sometimes installs as the obscure "Project 1".
             Another difficulty is that two people report a problem in updating "msvbvm60.dll.";
             however, even though you get a message that this updating fails, I and one other person
             discovered that the program still works fine.  You just have to find the program: Use "Run"
             on the "Start" button (then click "Browse") or you can use Windows Explorer.
             You are looking for a directory (usually in Program Files) called Project 1 or
             something with "Arist" in the title.  Then locate an "application" file with the
             extension "exe" and click (or Run) it.
         Here is an updated version of the above program that allows for multiple users:
                it requires a (non-secret) 3-letter login "identifier" that is attached to the
                name of your stored work (worklog_+<xyz>.txt).  Multi-User Arist. Logic Program.
             If you just want to put the missing file in the directory with the program, here it is:
                   AArgs14.txt   
             Also:   AArgs2.txt,  AArgs3.txt,    problems.txt 
             These, as well as your worklog.txt, are all easiest to read and print in Notepad,
                        but Microsoft Word works too.  

Course Preparation:
    The prerequisites for this course are previously taking (& passing!) an undergraduate
course that covered both propositional (sentential) logic AND first-order predicate logic (with
quantifiers and relations).  In particular, you should remember or be able to recall--maybe
after a little work-- (1) translating sentences into formulas with symbols (using propositional
connectives and quantifiers) and (2) producing deductions (derivations, sometimes called "proofs") using some standard set of rules of inference.  We will actually begin (1-2 weeks) with a symbolic approach to Aristotelian logic (using a deductive theory developed by UB's John Cocoran) and a semantics of my own making.  Then we will review propositional logic and predicate logic (2 weeks+).
    In preparation you might want to look at--and preferably work through some of the exercises in--some textbook with a fairly ordinary "natural deduction system."  Perhaps the best single
book that combines quality and low price is:
                  E.J. Lemmon, Beginning Logic (New $17.00).
                  Richard Jeffrey’s Formal Logic: Its Scope and Limits, ($19.00 used) 
                  I. Copi, Symbolic Logic (Any edition: $12.50 used)
For advice on strategy in constructing deductions, the only text I know--which also uses
a natural deduction system--is:
                  M. Schagrin, W. Rapaport, and R. Dipert,
                          Logic: A Computer Approach
Alas, it's out of print (except in its Italian and possibly Japanese edition); I'll be making copies of
the relevant chapters.

Software:
Fortunately, there exists some fairly good software on the web that uses E.J. Lemmon's system.
These include:
              Christian Gottschall's Proof Builder (click this link to start it) from his webpage
                     Gateway to Logic.
              Colin Allen's and Chris Menzel's The Logic Daemon based on the book
                     Logic Primer by Colin Allen and Michael Hand (click here for a description).
              A fuller description of logic software is on the Episteme website (subject: Logic and
                    Philosophy of Logic).
I've tried both and a fuller evaluation will be posted soon.  So far, I like much better Gottschall's,
with its point-and-click selection of rules of inference.  It is much more like software I've
developed and am now preparing for use.  Most building of deductions turns into an
excruciating exercise in your typing skills: being able to type logic is however not a very important
skill.

[I'll post more as I finish preparing the syllabus and select (or develop myself) software.]

Past Courses:
University at Buffalo, Spring 2003
     PHI 101 Introduction to Philosophy  Syllabus
                Updated Assignments until the End of the Semester.           
      UB Students: Logon to ublearns.buffalo.edu for more information.

      PHI 579 Peirce (Graduate Seminar on the philosophy of C.S. Peirce)
                 Syllabus 
                 Updated Assignments until the End of the Semester

What Every Educated Person Should Know about Philosophy.  A list of books and articles, concepts, and quotations which I suggest every college graduate should know; also, extended to a graduate who is a philosophy major. A bit grandiose, overreaching, and pompous--but maybe suggestive of something useful.  Click here (a Word DOC file).

University at Buffalo, Fall 2002
     PHI 101 Introduction to Philosophy  Syllabus
                 UB Students: Logon to ublearns.buffalo.edu for more information.
                       Announcements & Notes August 28.
                       Announcements & Notes August 30.
                 Warning: Not all course documents will be posted here.
                       Check UB Learns for a fuller list.  
      PHI 398 Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence  Syllabus
                 Grades on UB Learns: 
                       ublearns.buffalo.edu
                 Final Assignments for the semester, Nov 4- Dec 13
                 Current Assignments for October
                 Post-Eliza October Assignments (slightly revised).
                 Prolog Programs:
                      Family relations.
                      Eliza in Prolog, text (*.txt) file: Eliza11
                      Inference Program
                      Tic-tac-toe Utilities
                      Completed Tic Tac Toe Playing Program 
                 Documentation of Neural Network Program.
                 Neural Network Program itself (.exe application)
                 Website URLs with information on real neurons.
                 FINAL EXAM  Word Doc   Text file

University at Buffalo, Spring 2002

     PHI 221 Introduction to the Philosophy of Science   Syllabus
           Upcoming assignments

             24 Jan     Th  Presocratic natural philosophy; Aristotelian science 
                                  Losee pp. 4-13

              29 Jan     T   Pythagorean mathematics and science; Plato; Greek atomism
                                   Losee 14-25

              31 Jan     Th   Quiz     Saving appearances: Copernicus, Kepler
                                    Losee 39-45

                *********************************************

PHI 598   Philosophy of Mind--States of Mind: Emotions, Desires and Beliefs
       Syllabus
       First Reading Assignment:  Essay--The Nature and Structure of Emotions

University at Buffalo, Spring 2001
     PHI 398 Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence syllabus (Word doc file; pdf file).
       Notes (overheads) on Turing's 1950 article from class Jan. 23, 2001.
           Prolog:
                          Downloadable version URL:  SWI Prolog
                              Select "download" from top of screen, then scroll down
                                   until you see your system (Windows 1998, 2000, NT, etc.)
                          Online text for understanding Prolog.
                               You might want to start reading in the main section,
                                     "Knowledge Representation," subsection:
                                         "We turn to Prolog"
       Short (2-3 pp.) typed paper due Jan. 30th on:
                   "What is the current state of programs that attempt to
                      pass the Turing Test"
       In particular, consult the Loebner Prize webpage, scrolling down to
                    "Information on Previous Contests"--especially transcripts from
                     1999 and before.
       Assignment (due Feb. 13th 2001) to modify Prolog version of Eliza.
                        Word DOC version.  PDF version.
       Eliza Prolog program (text file.)
       All assignments to Feb 27 (Word DOC file)
             Essay Test  Feb 20!  Sample questions.
                  Sample Prolog database homework and Eliza homework will be returned then.
       No class Feb 27th.
       Assignments March 13-March 27, including paper on Searle's
                     Chinese Room due March 27.  (Word DOC file).
       Final Course assignments, including take-home final. (Word DOC file).
             "Toy" Forward Inference Program (in Prolog):  f-infer9b.txt
                   Directions:  Put in bin folder for SWI-Prolog
                                     Run Prolog
                                     At Prolog prompt, enter:  consult('f-infer9b.txt').
                   Commands:
                         db1.     Load sample problems
                         db2.            "
                         db3.            " [The murder mystery demonstrated in class.)
                         apply_rule.     Reasons one step at a time.
                         write_database.     Obvious
                         think.            Applies all rules repeatedly
                         clear.            Empties current database.
       From Class on April 9th:
            This was a big deal, starting a new section on recent work on "consciousness."
            (Re-)reading Ch. 8 of Copeland is a start.  Briefly, we discussed Thomas Nagel's "What is
             it like to be a bat?"  (Also handed out.) We distinguished reductivism, eliminitivism, and the
             "new wave" of anti-reductivism with respect to consciousness. We concluded by discussing
             three arguments for the irreducibility of consciousness:
                            1.  The inverted (qualia) spectrum.
                            2.  The Problem with Mary.
                            3.  The Zombie Argument.  (the 3 largely paralleling Chalmers'
                                 arguments in The Conscious Mind.... pp. 94-106);
                                 copy available in my mailbox.  See also Chalmers' website:
                                 Chalmers' Website and Chalmers on consciousness)
             For finding an article to read for your short paper due April 24th, you
                  might peruse Chalmers' excellent (and partly annotated)
                  Bibliography in the Philosophy of Mind.
             For those who are interested in implementation of AI things, I forgot
                        to mention two things:
                                       1.  A.K. Dewdney in his The New Turing Omnibus 
                                           has a beautiful and succinct account of an algorithm
                                           for a simple neural net. (Chap. 36).  I have a BASIC
                                           implementation--which however I can't get running,
                                           but could with a bit of time.  I'll post/send my program
                                           and a copy of Dewdney is available by asking a
                                           secretary to get it from my mailbox.
                                       2.  I have a Prolog implementation of a semantic network
                                          processing program that I call PSNePS.  You might
                                          experiment with inferences in it for your April 24th project
                                          or even work with the real SNePS, available on campus
                                          and from their website.
        Here is a sample neural network program (of my own design) to play with: program.
               Its documentation is HTML documentation (Word DOC version).
        Remaining Assignments! See "Final Course Assignments..." for details.
                    April 24th:  Short Paper or Programming Project
                    May 1st:  Take home Final Exam distributed
                    May 8th:  Physically turn in or e-mail completed Final Exam.
         FINAL EXAM (Take-home).  Here it is, in Word DOC format and as
                  as a webpage.  If you can't read it, or have ANY questions, e-mail me
                 at RRDip@aol.com or rdipert@acsu.buffalo.edu. Posted Sunday April
                 29th 1600 (4 pm) EDT.  It is due May 8th (e-mail or postmark).