POLSC 135 1st Edition Lecture 2 Outline of Last Lecture Syllabus Day Outline of Current Lecture Introduction Logic Current Lecture I Terms to know before studying politics Falsifiability The thing that distinguishes science from nonsience is that scientific statements must be falsifiable i e science can be tested and proven wrong Tautologies a statement that is true by definition Scientific Method Describes the process by which scientists learn about the world Question theory implications observations evaluation Uniformity principle If x causes y then it should be the same tomorrow x still causes y Theories theories are essentially models and models may be formal or informal by nature II Introduction to Logic In logic there are valid and invalid arguments An argument is a set of logically connected statements in the form of a set of premises and a conclusion A premise is a statement that is presumed to be true within the context of an argument leading to a conclusion A conclusion in an argument is a claim that is thought to support another claim An argument is validwhen accepting the premises compels us to accept its conclusion An argument is invalid if when we accept the premises we are free to accept or reject its conclusions Categorical Syllogism consists of a major premise minor premise and a conclusion The major premise is typically a conditional statement such as If P then Q The If part is called the antecedent The then part is called the consequent Example If a country is poor then it will be socialist The minor premise consists of a claim about either the antecedent or the consequent of the conditional statement These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture It is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute End Lecture The conclusion is a claim that is thought to be supported by the premises
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