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How to make good decisions in a complex, dynamic, and uncertain world. People often make decisions that on close examination they regard as wrong. Decision analysis uses a structured conversation based on actional thought to obtain clarity of action in a wide variety of domains. Topics: distinctions, possibilities and probabilities, relevance, value of information and experimentation, relevance and decision diagrams, risk attitude. Students seeking to fulfill the Writing in the Major requirement should register for MS&E 152W.

Survey of important formal methods used in philosophy. The course covers the basics of propositional and elementary predicate logic, probability and decision theory, game theory, and statistics, highlighting philosophical issues and applications. Specific topics include the languages of propositional and predicate logic and their interpretations, rationality arguments for the probability axioms, Nash equilibrium and dominance reasoning, and the meaning of statistical significance tests. Assessment is through a combination of problem sets and short-answer questions designed to solidify competence with the mathematical tools and to test conceptual understanding. This course replaces PHIL 50.

(Formerly SYMSYS 100). An overview of the interdisciplinary study of cognition, information, communication, and language, with an emphasis on foundational issues: What are minds? What is computation? What are rationality and intelligence? Can we predict human behavior? Can computers be truly intelligent? How do people and technology interact, and how might they do so in the future? Lectures focus on how the methods of philosophy, mathematics, empirical research, and computational modeling are used to study minds and machines. Undergraduates considering a major in symbolic systems should take this course as early as possible in their program of study.

An introduction to the concepts and techniques used in mathematical logic, focusing on propositional, modal, and predicate logic. Highlights connections with philosophy, mathematics, computer science, linguistics, and neighboring fields.

A new introduction to logic, covering propositional, modal, and first-order logic, with special attention to major applications in describing information and information-driven action. Highlights connections with philosophy, mathematics, computer science, linguistics, and neighboring fields. Based on the open source course 'Logic in Action,' available online at http://www.logicinaction.org/.nFulfills the undergraduate philosophy logic requirement.

(Formerly 160A.) The syntax and semantics of sentential and first-order logic. Concepts of model theory. Gödel's completeness theorem and its consequences: the Löwenheim-Skolem theorem and the compactness theorem. Prerequisite: 150 or consent of instructor.

Computable functions, Turing degrees, generalized computability and definability. "What does it mean for a function from the natural numbers to themselves to be computable?" and "How can noncomputable functions be classified into a hierarchy based on their level of noncomputability?". Theory of relative computability, reducibility notions and degree structures. Prerequisite is PHIL 150, or PHIL 151 or CS 103.

(Graduate students register for 254.) Syntax and semantics of modal logic and its basic theory: including expressive power, axiomatic completeness, correspondence, and complexity. Applications to topics in philosophy, computer science, mathematics, linguistics, and game theory. Prerequisite: 150 or preferably 151.

Foundational approaches to thinking about chance in matters such as gambling, the law, and everyday affairs. Topics include: chance and decisions; the mathematics of chance; frequencies, symmetry, and chance; Bayes great idea; chance and psychology; misuses of chance; and harnessing chance. Emphasis is on the philosophical underpinnings and problems. Prerequisite: exposure to probability or a first course in statistics at the level of STATS 60 or 116.