Ruth Barcan Marcus was an American philosopher who developed the Barcan formula, which will be covered in session 18. (Image courtesy of Elisabeth Steinacher on flickr. Used with permission.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Stephen Yablo
MIT Course Number
24.244
As Taught In
Spring 2015
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
Modal logic is the logic of necessity and possibility, and by extension of analogously paired notions like validity and consistency, obligation and permission, the known and the not-ruled-out. This a first course in the area. A solid background in first-order logic is essential. Topics to be covered include (some or all of) the main systems of propositional modal logic, Kripkean "possible world" semantics, strict implication, contingent identity, intensional objects, counterpart theory, the logic of actuality, and deontic and / or epistemic logic. The emphasis will be more on technical methods and results than philosophical applications.
