Pamantasan ng Cabuyao

College of Health and Allied Sciences

Katapatan Homes Subd. Brgy. Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao

Course Code:

LOG101 Logic and Critical Thinking

Course Description:

In this three-unit course, Logic and Critical Thinking, the students will be
introduced to the rudiments of logical apprehension, judgment and reasoning
This course discusses the science and art of correct thinking by exposing the
students to different philosophical concepts and methods of philosophical
reasoning. It aims to cultivate and develop the art of critical thinking which is
necessary for the academic formation and for strengthening character in their
chosen profession.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, the students should be able to:

1. Adopt values and attitudes consistent with the mission-vision of Pamantasan
ng Cabuyao
2. Be knowledgeable in the importance of logic as integral part of philosophy.
3. Value the nature of concepts, kinds of concepts, verbal expression of
concepts, the propositions and the four categoricals;
4. Be knowledgeable in the essence of arguments, its oppositions, eductions
and truth value.
5. Patiently understand clearly hypothetical syllogism, fallacies and
argumentation
6. Apply what they have learned in their day to day activities in life

Learning Material for Week #: 2

I. TITLE
Introduction to Philosophy

II. OBJECTIVES

At the end of the session, the students should be able to:

1. Clarify and compare the appropriateness of accepted definition and the
role of Logic as an introduction for any philosophical inquiry;
2. Value the relevance of philosophical discourse in developing the critical
thinking skills; and
3. Indicate and present the relevance of critical philosophical thinking to
the nursing profession and clarify the limitations therein.

III. INTRODUCTION

Philosophy is everybody’s business. Our lives are lived in accordance with

the beliefs and principles we adhere to. And these are products of thought and
reflection. We question, argue, defend and act accordingly.

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 Pamantasan ng Cabuyao
College of Health and Allied Sciences
Katapatan Homes Subd. Brgy. Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao

Philosophy sharpens the mind of the student taking up other disciplines.

While he learns the skill of his discipline, philosophy helps him to understand its
“why”. For instance a student in business should not only learn the skill of gaining
profits but also understand the value of money in relation to the self and human
society.
Philosophy enables us to clarify issues, to discern the better option and to
make a good reasoned decision, as in such issues like our career, choice of
vocation, moral, ethical and religious issues.
Philosophy enriches our lives. It opens new vistas and helps us
experience new dimension in our lives. It helps us integrate our thoughts,
feelings and actions into a reasonable, coherent and meaningful synthesis.
Philosophy sets us free from unexamined convictions. It enhances our
understanding of our convictions and even change them if found false and
wanting. Philosophy is a potent force. It deals with ideas that have continually
shape the world.
Philosophy is quest for wisdom, which means not only accumulation of
knowledge, but also transformation of one’s mode of being and life. It guides the
human to have the grasp of himself/herself, fellow human beings and the world.
It’ mission then is to transform people into responsible agents of change with a
passionate response against injustice and unfreedom tempered by reasoned
efficacious actions.
Finally, in philosophy, we study values expressed in words. But these are
not mere words, because they are words to live by…

IV. BODY

A. DEFINITION/MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY
 Philosophy comes from the Greek words (philos) which means love and
(sophia) which means wisdom
 It is a branch of human science which deals with the formal reasons and
formal principles of things knowable through the natural light of human
reason alone.
 It is a human science because philosophy is not just a gathering of knowledge
but a organized body of knowledge.
 It deals with the proper reasons and formal principles of things because
philosophy searches for what is essential and it is more on formal features rather
than with the physical or material features of a thing.
o This makes philosophy different from the positive sciences such as Biology,
Chemistry, and Physics etc. Positive sciences deal with the physical or material
constituents and physical principles of things, while philosophy goes beyond the
physical or the material features of a thing and it studies the nature of life and its
principle.
o Take for example the definition of man.
Positive science: “Man is a member of the Genus Homo, Family Hominidae,
Order Primates, Class mammalia, characterized by erect posture and opposable
thumb, distinguished by the ability to communicate by means of organized
speech and to record information in a variety of symbolic systems”

LOG101 Logic & Critical Thinking 2

 Pamantasan ng Cabuyao
College of Health and Allied Sciences
Katapatan Homes Subd. Brgy. Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao

Philosophy: “Man is a rational animal, that is, a being having an organic

sensitive body and a rational soul, which through the specific rational faculties of
reason and will is capable of abstract knowledge through discovery, inference or
education, and is also capable of discretionary free action, of culture and
progress, and of communicating with his kind by means of articulate voice and
other meaningful signs.”
 Knowable through the natural light of human reason alone because man alone
has the capability to think and rationalize.
 According to Blaise Pascal, “The heart has reason in which reason itself
cannot understand”
 PHILOSOPHY is the science of “things”. Philosophy includes everything as its
object as seen in their final causes. It tries to go down into the foundational
principles.
 PHILOSOPHY is also an attempt to reach a systematic knowledge of the
different aspects of reality. It is an attempt to reach answers, and conclusions
which can still be open for revisions.
o Because philosophy is systematic, it should be orderly, consistent,
comprehensive and logical knowledge. That is why we cannot understand
something if it is disorderly.
WHY DOES MAN PHILOSOPHIZE?
 To understand ourselves better
 Man is searching for wisdom
 It is the cry of the human heart and mind.
 Man seeks answers to his questions.
 Man is intelligent
BEGINNINGS OF PHILOSOPHIZING
 Wonder
 Doubt
 Limits situation (crisis)
 Metaphysical uneasiness- related with spiritual things-inner restlessness
For Socrates, philosophy is knowing ourselves that is why Socrates would
say “Know Thyself”. Philosophy is really a discovering of our own selves and
knowing more of our own selves the basic questions in philosophy. Some of
these basic questions are as follows:
1. Who am I? What is Man?
2. Where am I going?
3. What is my future and destiny?
4. What should I do to make my life happy?

With this, we can conclude that philosophy is all about the MEANING OF
LIFE. To see the meaning of life, the following questions must be asked again of
ourselves:

LOG101 Logic & Critical Thinking 3

 Pamantasan ng Cabuyao
College of Health and Allied Sciences
Katapatan Homes Subd. Brgy. Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao

1. What is the supreme purpose and goal of human living?

2. What consists of man’s perfection and happiness?
3. What is the ultimate objective of human strivings? Is it ever attainable?
4. What is the summum bonum of human existence?
5. What is the remedy and cause of human suffering?

B. BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
1. LOGIC
Gk. (logike) which means word or thought
the science and art of correct thinking
2. COSMOLOGY
Gk. (kosmos) which means universe
 a study on the universe or the physical world
3. PSYCHOLOGY
Gk. (psyche) which means mind or soul
 on living beings, vital operations and the principle of life
(soul)
4. ETHICS
Gk. ethos) which means morality
On the morality of human acts
5. ONTOLOGY or GENERAL METAPHYSICS
 Lt. ens or on which means being
on beings in general
6. THEODICY
Gk. (theos) which means God
 on the First Cause of universal contingent beings
7. EPISTEMOLOGY
Lt. episteme which means knowledge
on the validity of human knowledge
8. ANTHROPOLOGY
Gk. (anthropon) which means man
a study about man
9. POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
a study about the state or government
10. SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY
a study of man in relation with the society he lives in
11. AESTHETICS
study of art and beauty

C. MEANING/DEFINITION OF LOGIC

 Science and art of correct thinking

 It is an organon meaning instrument. It is an instrument for discovering
and presenting truths.
 It is through logical methods that sciences discover truths.
 The ability to reason is inherent to man. We have this so called COMMON
SENSE. This is what we call Natural Logic and this guided man to the
use of fire, of water etc.
 But common sense is prone to mistakes; we need therefore a
systematized instruction on how to build up our natural talents and how
to use them effectively.
 Therefore, we need the science and art of logic to develop the habit of
confident reasoning.
 Logic is a SCIENCE.

LOG101 Logic & Critical Thinking 4

 Pamantasan ng Cabuyao
College of Health and Allied Sciences
Katapatan Homes Subd. Brgy. Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao

 SCIENCE is a systematic body of knowledge.

 Logic is a science because it is a body of knowledge that is systematically
arranged and confirmed to be true.
 Logic is an ART
 ART is the habit of doing something with a certain degree of order and
harmony. It is also a normative science which means it uses rules to be
followed.
 Logic is an ART because it is a practical science which leads to the
formation of the habit of thinking easily, orderly and properly.
 Logic is the science and art of correct THINKING.
 Thinking refers to any or to all the movements of the mind such as
imagining, recalling, memorizing, comprehending, analyzing, day-
dreaming or solving problems.
 In logic, thinking means inference.

INFERENCE- getting a truth or conclusion from something formerly known

to the thinker.

2 KINDS OF INFERENCE
1. Inductive Inference draws a universal or general conclusion from a series
of individual interrelated facts.
2. Deductive Inference draws a particular conclusion on the basis of assumed
common or universal principles.

Premises (statements) Evidence

Conclusion (statement) What is claimed to follow from the evidence

Examples:
All cats are animals.  premise
Felix is a cat.  premise
Therefore, Felix is an animal.  conclusion

All salesmen are extroverts.

Mario is a salesman.
Therefore, Mario is an extrovert

WHY SHOULD WE STUDY LOGIC?

 We begin our solution to this question by observing that everyone obviously
desires to know. This self-evident assertion simply means that a human
being is so constituted that he cannot help wanting to know. A human being
is a “knowing being”.
 All human beings then in varying degrees want to know why things are so.
An obvious sign of this is that even as kids we often ask for the why of things.
We are insatiably curious.
 Logic then is a tool in helping us find out why things are as they are. An axe
is an tool for cutting down a tree. A sharp axe is an efficient instrument for
cutting down a tree. The power of thinking is an instrument for knowing the
why and wherefore of things but thinking sharpened by skill in logic is an
efficient instrument for scientific knowing.

LOG101 Logic & Critical Thinking 5

 Pamantasan ng Cabuyao
College of Health and Allied Sciences
Katapatan Homes Subd. Brgy. Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao

IDEOGENESIS (how is an idea being formed in the mind?)

Perception/SensationApprehensionAbstraction = IDEA
To have an idea, there should be an encounter between the subject and the
object. This is called PERCEPTION or SENSATION.

SIMPLE APPREHENSION  an act of the mind by which we know the real

meaning of a thing without affirming or denying anything about it. In this mental
act, phantasms are being formed in our imaginations.

ABSTRACTION  is the mental process for the formation of an idea which

includes picking up from, or drawing out from.

3 ACTS OF THE MIND

1. Simple Apprehension act of the mind by which we understand the

fundamental nature of a thing.

2. Judgment act of the mind by which we compare two concepts and

declare them to be either in conformity or disagreement with each other.

PROPOSITION  is a kind of sentence wherein the subject and the

predicate are combined so as to emphasize something true or false.
Examples.
1. Socrates is an ancient Greek philosopher.
2. Man is not an angel.
3. Persons are not things.

3. Reasoning act of the mind by which we gain new truths from what is
formerly assumed to be true.

Argument/Syllogism  combining sentences or propositions so as to

form a new judgment.
Examples:
1. All philosophers are good thinkers.
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche is a philosopher.
Therefore, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche is a good thinker.

2. All men are rational beings.

Peter is a man.
Therefore, Peter is a rational being.

2 LOGICAL PROPERTIES OF AN IDEA

1. COMPREHENSION sum-total of the thought elements or conceptual

features contained in an idea.
- In giving the comprehension of an idea, we are simply giving the
definition of the concept or idea.

*Definition knowing the essence of a thing. Giving the specifying difference

and the genus
Examples:
1. Man rational animal
2. Man being that is substance, bodily, living, sentient and rational.

LOG101 Logic & Critical Thinking 6

 Pamantasan ng Cabuyao
College of Health and Allied Sciences
Katapatan Homes Subd. Brgy. Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao

2. EXTENSION  sum-total of individuals and categories of beings to

which the idea may be applied.

APPLICATION:

 When someone asks for the meaning of a term, he anticipates an answer

from its comprehension.
 When a student asks for an example of a proposition, he anticipates an
answer from its extension.

EXAMPLE:

COMPREHENSION EXTENSION
Substance Spirits, minerals, plants, brutes, men
Material, substance Minerals, plants, brutes, men
Living, material, substance Plants, brutes, men
Sentient, living, material, substance Brutes, men
Rational, sentient, living, material, substance Men

What is the relationship between the comprehension and extension of an idea?

 They VARY INVERSELY. That is the greater the comprehension, the lesser the
extension and the lesser the comprehension, the greater the extension.

V. REFERENCES

Books:

Buenaflor, Lionel E. (2014). The Art of Critical Thinking: Logic for Filipino
Students. 3rd Edition. Books Atbp. Publishing. Madaluyong City.
Govier, Trudy. (2010). A Practical Study of Argument. 7th Edition. Cengage
Learning, Belomont, CA.
Hurley, Patrick J. (2011). Introduction to Logic. Philippine Edition. Cengage
Learning Asia, Pasig City.
Nolt, John. (2011). Schaum’s Outlines: Logic. 2nd Edition. McGraw-Hill, New York,
NY.
Sarmon, Marnilee H. (2013). Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking.
Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Australia.
Santiago-Espartinez, Alma. (2010). Logic: The Art of Reasoning. Fifth edition.
Tri-zone Printing Press, Manila.

Journal Articles:

Piaget's Logic of Meanings: Still Relevant Today. By: Wavering, Michael James.
School Science and Mathematics, V111 N5 pg. 249-252, May 2011.
(EJ927229)
Using Abductive Research Logic: "The Logic of Discovery", To Construct a
Rigorous Explanation of Amorphous Evaluation of Findings. By: Levin-
Rozalis, Miri. Journal of Multi-disciplinary Evaluation, V6 n13 pg. 1-14, Feb
2010. (EJ882390)
Context-based exercises in logic: To park or not to park, 'Tis the Question. By:
Munakata, Mika. International Journal of Mathematical Education in
Science and Technology, V42 n5 pg 649-657 2011. (EJ929280)
The Logic of German Monism and the U.S. Public Schools: A Philosophical
Inquiry. By: Welsh, Benjamin H. Philosophical Studies in Education, V42
pg88-100 2011. (EJ960329)

LOG101 Logic & Critical Thinking 7

 Pamantasan ng Cabuyao
College of Health and Allied Sciences
Katapatan Homes Subd. Brgy. Banay-banay, City of Cabuyao

The Role of Logic in the Validation of Mathematical Proofs. Technical Report. No.
1999- 1. By: Selden, Annie; Selden, John. Online Submission. 1999 14 pp.
(ED518763)

Internet:
http://www.geocities.com/oosterwal/puzzle.htm
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/plains/4484/lp9702.htm
http://www.freeinternet.co.uk/users/ambrose.jones/Headscratch_stickman.
jpg

VI. ACTIVITY / ACTIVITIES

LEARNING BY DOING: EXERCISES IN DISCERNMENT OR SEEING IS

FORGETTING THE NAME OF THE THING SEEN

AMIR’S FABLE

There is an old fable, which tells that Truth and Falsehood went for
A swim together, leaving their clothes on shore. Falsehood
Coming out of the water first, puts on Truth’s clothes.
Truth, being what it is, absolutely refused to wear
Falsehood’s clothes, thus remained naked.
Ever since then, Falsehood, appearing
As Truth, has been accepted as
Truth, while Truth still
Awaits to be seen.

CHUANG TZU’S TALE

At the Gorge of Lu, the great waterfall plunges for thousands of feet, its spray
Visible for miles. In the churning waters below, no living creature can be seen.
One day Confucius was standing at a distance from the pool’s edge, when he saw
An old man being tossed about in the turbulent water. He called to his disciples
And together they ran to rescue the victim. But by the time they reached the
Water, the old man had come out onto the bank and was walking along,
Singing to himself. Confucius hurried up to him. ‘You would have to be a
Ghost to survive that,’ he said, ‘but you seem to be a man, instead. What
Secret power do you have?’ ‘Nothing special,’ the old man replied. ‘I
Began to learn while young, and grew up practicing it. Now I am certain
Of success. I go down with the water and come up with water. I follow
It and forget myself. I survive because I don’t struggle against the
Water’s superior power. That’s all.’

LOG101 Logic & Critical Thinking 8