General information
Course type | AMUPIE |
Module title | Diagrams In Logic And Philosophy |
Language | English |
Module lecturer | dr Michał Sochański |
Lecturer's email | ms195@amu.edu.pl |
Lecturer position | |
Faculty | Faculty of Psychology and Cognitive Science |
Semester | 2022/2023 (summer) |
Duration | 30 |
ECTS | 5 |
USOS code | 23-KODL-DLT |
Timetable
Module aim (aims)
The module aims at introducing the student to basic semiotic, philosophical, logical and cognitive issues related with the use of diagrams. Diagrams are discussed as a kind of representation that has its advantages and disadvantages (in contrast with “sentential” representation) that may lead e.g. to better understanding of a given problem, more effective reasoning or performing of other cognitive tasks.
Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)
Completion of course on logic, covering basics of propositional logic and 1-order logic is necessary in order to be able to understand the material covered. It would also be helpful if the student completed an introductory course on philosophy.
Syllabus
Basic notions such as semiotics, diagram, visualization, picture, representation are first discussed, with particular focus on the philosophy of Ch.S.Peirce. Secondly, we discuss differences between sentential and diagrammatic forms of representation (e.g. aspects of sequential vs spatial mode of representation of information; iconicity of diagrams; characteristics of diagrams that make them more effective in representing some types of information than natural language). Thirdly, follows the discussion of advantages (e.g. potential for “free rides”, aspect shift, or to include a lot of information in a simultaneous way) and disadvantages (e.g. overspecification, lack of generality and various limitations of spatial representation.) of diagrammatic representations. Next part of the course is dedicated to diagrams used in logic such as Venn diagrams, Carroll diagrams or diagrams introduced by Ch.S.Peirce. Some philosophical and methodological issues relating to the use of diagrams in mathematics are then discussed. Finally, principles and heuristics for design of effective diagrams and graphics are also shortly presented.
Reading list
- Allwein, G., Barwise, J. (Eds.). Logical reasoning with diagrams, Oxford University Press, New York 1996.
- Giardino, V., Greenberg, G., Introduction: Varieties of Iconicity, “Review of Philosophy and Psychology” 6, p.1-25, 2015.
- Giaquinto, M., Visual Thinking in Mathematics, Oxford University Press 2007.
- Hegarty, M., The Cognitive Science of Visual-Spatial Displays: Implications for Design, “Topics in Cognitive Science” 3, p. 446-474, 2001.
- Larkin, J. and H. Simon, Why a Diagram is (Sometimes) Worth 10,000 Words, “Cognitive Science”, 11: 65–99, 1987.
- Pietarinen, A.-V. , “An introduction to Peirce's logic and semeiotics”, Chapter 1 of the book Signs of Logic, Peircean themes on the philosophy of language, games, and communication, Springer 2006.
- Pietarinen, A.-V., Existential Graphs: What a Diagrammatic Logic of Cognition Might Look Like. “History and Philosophy of Logic” 32, p. 265–281, 2011.
- Shin, S.-J., The Iconic Logic of Peirce’s Graphs, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press 2002.
- Shimojima, A., Semantic Properties of Diagrams and Their Cognitive Potential, CSLI Publications 2015.
- Stenning, K. Seeing Reason. Image and language in learning to think, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2002.