This Tsinghua University course (undergraduate-level) is a part of the Global Hybrid Classroom (GHC) Certificate program.
In this program, we introduce the most important results of modern logic and the related issues in philosophy, mathematics, and computer science in general. In the classroom, students get training in making a proof, constructing a model, and getting the meaning of a sentence. The program attracts students who are seeking to broaden their horizons or gain a more in-depth understanding of logic as an interdisciplinary subject.
“Interdisciplinary Honors Program in Logic” certificate is compromised of 4 courses:
This course is designed for students with backgrounds and interests in philosophy, and consists of two parts. The first part of the course introduces fundamental logical notions and methods that have applications in philosophy. Things to be covered include logical systems like propositional logic, predicate logic, epistemic logic, and dynamic logic, as well as issues like inter-translation of formal and natural languages, inference pattern and calculus, epistemic activity and information flow, and the interaction between logic and games. The second part of the course introduces the students to the application of logic in the study of natural language semantics. It gives an overview of the main tools and theoretical approaches, provides concrete examples of a number of phenomena, and discusses both historical backgrounds as well as some methodological assumptions.
Logic, Language and Philosophy syllabus (autumn 2020).pdf
Full Professor at Tsinghua University,
Changjiang Distinguished Professor, Amsterdam-China Logic Chair at the University of Amsterdam
Fenrong Liu, Full Professor at Tsinghua University, Changjiang Distinguished Professor, Amsterdam-China Logic Chair at the University of Amsterdam, Co-Director of the Tsinghua-UvA Joint Research Centre for Logic. Fenrong works mainly in the field of logics for rational agency. Her research work includes the formal structured models of preference dynamics and modeling different types of agent in terms of logic. She has published a number of papers and books on these topics, notably, Reasoning about Preference Dynamics (Springer 2011). Her recent interest lies in understanding the features of information flow and decision making in social setting, establishing more realistic models, and exploring foundations of AI. In addition, she maintains active interests in Chinese Ancient Logic. She is currently editing a Handbook of Logical Thought in China. Fenrong is an Editor-in-Chief of the new book series of Studia Logica Library: Logic in Asia, an editor of Australasian Journal of Logic, an associate editor of Studia Logica and Studies in Logic, and an editorial board member of Synthese and Topoi.
Professor of Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam
Martin Stokhof is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. His interests include formal semantics and pragmatics of natural language, philosophy of language, as well as the philosophy of Wittgenstein. He has been the chair of the Dutch national KNAW NWO China Committee, and he was a Weilun Professor at Tsinghua University in 2015. He is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Academia Europaea AE, and the Institut International de Philosophie IIP.
Among branches of modern logic, modal logic provides a nice balance of expressivity and complexity, allowing it to be applied widely and extensively in many fields ranging from humanities to software design. In this course, ideas and methods of modal logic will be introduced along with its famous applications in modeling time, knowledge, necessity, and social behaviors. In this thread, student will be led into environments similar to research, in which ideas and needs from theoretical side and practical side frequently interact. Pointers will be given to standard textbooks/handbooks as well as notable papers, and with knowledge and skills introduced in this course, students with further interests should in principle be able to explore by their own. This course aims to student who more or less have learnt some logic, but this is not strictly required.
Modal Logic and its Applications syllabus.pdf
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Auckland
Jeremy Seligman is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Auckland (NZ). His interests include the application of logic and mathematics to philosophy, witness his work in Situation Theory, as well as outreach to other disciplines. His recent interest is interfaces with the social sciences, using tools from logic and computer science to understand knowledge and communication in a social setting. He has been visiting China and interacting with Chinese colleagues in various capacities since the 1990s.
The course presents basic facts which lie at the foundation of modern logic. First, we show that first-order logic itself is complete, in the sense that there is a simple system of axioms and rules (that we present) which derives all logical consequences of any given premises. Then we look at theories expressed in this language. After a glimpse of what one can say about models of such theories, we present Gödel’s famous incompleteness theorems: in any axiomatic theory, which is free from contradiction and contains a bare minimum of arithmetic, there are true statements which cannot be proved in the theory. The methods used to show this lead to other important facts, such as Tarski’s theorem on the undefinability of truth, and the fact that the freedom of contradiction of such a theory cannot be proved in the theory itself (the second incompleteness theorem). We discuss the philosophical import of these results, but our main focus is on how they are established. Finally, we show that first-order logic is undecidable: there is no effective method (computer program) which can decide, for any premises and conclusion, if the conclusion follows logically from the premises or not.
Foundations of Logic syllabus.pdf
Professor of Theoretical Philosophy and Logic at Stockholm University
Dag Westerståhl is a Professor of Theoretical Philosophy and Logic at Stockholm University. His interests include logic, formal semantics, and philosophy of language, with a special emphasis on integrating themes such as on generalized quantifiers, studied both from a logical and a linguistic point of view. He has been Secretary General of the International Division of Logic and Methodology of Science, and he is a member of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg and of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Aim: Introduction to the themes of information, computation, agency, and games in logic, and in the process, showing how logic connects between several different fields.
Level: This is a technical mid-level course, not a first introduction to logic. Students must have had a logic course or similar formal background [say, at the level of the online course http://www.logicinaction.org, LIA]. Each week new skills are trained, and outlooks given to mathematics, computer science, philosophy, etc., including current research problems.
Logic, Computation and Games syllabus (autumn 2021).pdf
Professor of Logic at the University of Amsterdam
Professor of Philosophy at Stanford University
Johan van Benthem is a University Professor of Logic at the University of Amsterdam and Professor of Philosophy at Stanford University. His interests include logics of information, action and games, as well as public outreach for logic. He is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Academia Europaea AE, the Institut International de Philosophie IIP, and The American Academy of Arts and Sciences AAAS.
Global Hybrid Courses (GHC) is currently open to current students from overseas partner universities of Tsinghua University, and it’s free. If your university (instructor or students) would like to join the program and experience what it is like to teach and learn in a truly global classroom, please contact the Assistant Secretary-General of the Global MOOC Alliance at [email protected] or [email protected].
How to attend our GHC courses?
- Tsinghua University will send the list of GHC courses to overseas partner universities every semester. These universities will notify students to enroll and priority will be given to students eager to take part
- Students from overseas partner universities have to complete the courses required by the GHC Certificate within a specified time. After completing each course, they will receive a GHC transcript issued by Tsinghua University.
- Students from overseas partner universities attending Tsinghua’s postgraduate courses, whose own universities do not allow for credit transfer, can enjoy credit exemption if they study for postgraduate degrees at Tsinghua University in the future.
How to apply for the certificate upon completion of the required courses?
- Please send your name, university, and GHC transcripts to us at [email protected]
