Phil324

PHIL 324 Logic and Philosophy of Decision Making
Fall 2002-2003

OFFICE MATTERS :

Office : Room B139 in the Social Sciences Building.
Office hours : Wed 14:40-15:30, Fri 11:40-12:30 & 14:40-15:30. Other meeting times with the instructor are also possible by prior appointment.
Office phone : On campus: 5339; off campus: 210-5339. You can leave a message on the answering machine.
E-mail : esayan@metu.edu.tr

COURSE DESCRIPTION :

We frequently find ourselves in situations in which we need to make a decision. In such situations we have a set of alternative courses of action that we can take, but typically some or all of these actions involve uncertainties as to their consequences. The problem is which one of these actions is the most rational to undertake relative to the information available, and given the risks involved in each one of them. Decision theory is the formal, mathematically oriented study of conditions of rational decision-making, but there is room for philosophical scrutiny of its results. The aim of this course is to provide an introduction to the fundamentals of decision theory that pays attention to matters of philosophical and logical interest. Our emphasis will be more on grasping of concepts than on mathematical technicalities.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS :

• There will be two midterms and one comprehensive final exam. All three exams will be composed, for the most part, of questions requiring short answers, such as true-false, fill-in-the blank, and multiple-choice questions. There may be, however, a couple of “classical-style” questions on the exams, each requiring at most half-a-page-long answer.
• Attendance to classes is required. You will be expected not only to attend but also to actively participate in class discussions by asking questions, answering questions, and showing genuine interest in the problems being discussed. Class attendance will be taken randomly throughout the semester. Students can have three unexcused absences without hurting their grades. After three absences, the student’s total score will be lowered by 3 points per unexcused absence. Class attendance may be taken at the beginning of the class period as well as at the end. When it is taken at the beginning, latecomers will be counted as absent.
• The requirements of the course will be weighted as follows:

1. Midterm : 30 pts.
2. Midterm : 30 pts.
Final : 40 pts.
TOTAL : 100 pts.
Participation in class discussion : up to +8 pts.
Every unexcused absence after 3 unexcused absences : -3 pts.

The final letter grades for the course will be assigned via an “informal curve” to be set up on the basis of the students’ total scores at the end of the semester.

• Make-ups for the exams will normally be given in cases of certified illness or certified emergency. Be warned that the make-ups will tend to be harder than the regular exams. The make-up will be especially harder in the case of students who present less than compelling reasons to take a make-up.
• If our class hours conflict with those of another course you are taking, then you are expected to spend half of those conflicting hours in our class, rather than spending them entirely in the other class during the whole semester. At the end of the semester, you will be given a form which will be signed by the teacher of the other course as proof of the class-hour conflict, and your absences during those hours will be discounted to an appropriate extent.

TEXT:

Our major text will be:

Michael D. Resnik, Choices: An Introduction to Decision Theory (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1987).

We shall aim to cover Chapters 1, 3, and 4 in this book.