Past courses
Here
are some of the courses that I have
taught/convened over the past couple of years.
Elements of Deductive Logic (Leuven 2012; Undergrad): A slightly `lighter' version of the logic course that I taught in 2011, cutting back on the modal logics and supplementing the exposition of tableau methods with a brief look at natural deduction.
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Lecture slides (pdf, 4-up): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (1up), 6 (1up), 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 (1up), 16 & 17 (1up)
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Exercises (pdf): 1 (solutions), 2 (solutions), 3 (solutions), 4 (solutions), 5 (solutions), 6 (solutions)
Elements of Deductive Logic (co-taught with Lorenz Demey; Leuven 2011; Undergrad): an introduction to logic, providing an overview of basic propositional and predicate logic, as well as, time-permitting, a cursory glimpse of some more advanced topics (e.g. modal logic, many-valued logics,...). The course textbook will be Restall's Logic: An Introduction, possibly supplemented with selections from Priest's An Introduction to Non-Classical Logic. See the 2012 version above for course materials.
Modeling
Rational Belief (Bayreuth
2010/2011;
Postgrad): a state-of-the-art introduction to the formal
modeling
of rational belief, which is a central concern to disciplines ranging
from philosophy to AI, through economics and statistics. We will be
covering (i) graded belief, (ii) full belief and (iii) the relation
between the two. Regarding (i) we will examine the main tenets of what
is known as 'objective Bayesianism'. We shall also review the debate on
probabilities of conditionals. Regarding (ii), we cover some of the
principal topics in belief revision theory, as well as the Ramsey test
for conditionals. We wrap things up with (iii), and a look at the
latest work on the lottery paradox.
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Syllabus (pdf)
The Evolution of the Social Contract (Bayreuth 2010/2011; Postgrad): a chapter-by-chapter examination of Skyrms' highly acclaimed work on the biological evolution of the social contract. We will be covering, back to back, both his Lakatos prize -winning The Evolution of the Social Contract and its follow-up, The Stag Hunt and the Evolution of Social Structure.
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Syllabus (pdf)
Paradoxes of Rationality (Bayreuth 2010/2011; Undergrad): a tour of a large selection of fascinating puzzles and paradoxes that challenge commonly-held views on practical and theoretical rationality. Paradoxes covered range from the Two Envelope problem to the Doomsday paradox, through Pollock's Ever Better Wine.
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Syllabus (pdf)
Decision Theory, with Applications to Epistemology (Leuven 2009; Postgrad): an introductory overview of classical decision theory, some of the associated difficulties and the potential points of contact with epistemology (Pascal's Wager, decision-theoretic accounts of acceptance,...).
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Syllabus (pdf)
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Formal Skills Assignment (pdf)
Darwin in Philosophy (Glasgow 2008; Senior Undergrad / Postgrad): an overview of various points of contact between evolutionary theory and philosophy, with some basic philosophy of biology thrown in. Covers various evolutionary approaches to mind, epistemology and ethics.
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Syllabus (pdf)
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Lecture slides (pdf, 2-up): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,13,
14, 15, 16, 17, 18.
Belief & Inquiry (Glasgow 2008; Senior Undergrad / Postgrad): an introduction to the literature on degrees of belief and the rational constraints thereon, with a focus on the Bayesian literature. The aim was to provide the student with basic tools to engage with some of the more formal work in contemporary epistemology and philosophy of science.
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Syllabus (pdf)
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Lecture slides (pdf, 4-up): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
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Problem sets, with solutions: set #1, set #2. (not available atm)
Metaphysics (Glasgow 2007; Postgrad): a seminar-based course in metaphysics, co-taught with Nikk Effingham.
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Syllabus (pdf)
Metaphysics I - The Nature of Being (Birkbeck 2006; Junior Undergrad): an introduction to some key issues in metaphysics, covering universals, substances, modality, causation, laws of nature, etc.
