A Carnegie Mellon course
What is logic? The dictionary tells us that it is "the study of principles underlying correct arguments", but that doesn't help much, does it? Lewis Carroll (Rev. C.L. Dodgson) said, "master the machinery of Symbolic Logic, and you have a mental occupation always at hand, of absorbing interest, and one that will be of real use to you in any subject you may take up." Great! That's what I really need.
You see, a number of commentators here and offline have accused me of adducing arguments that are lacking in logic, so I've decided to tackle the issue head on. I'm doing it with the help of an online project called the Open Learning Initiative from Carnegie Mellon which the university boldly declares is "Creating a New Paradigm for Online Education".
So what do I get? Well, the "Open & Free Version" of my "Logic and Proof" course provides me with access to classes comparable to the ones on the Sentential Logic course taught at Carnegie Mellon University. In other words, I get an entire online course including all expository text, simulations, case studies, comprehension tests, computer tutors as well as access to the Carnegie Proof Lab. However, what I do not get are the end-of-module graded exams and contact with the course instructor. And neither do I get any credit for completing the course. Still, you and I will benefit from the improved quality of the arguments being made here.
Looking at the bigger picture, with the "Open Learning Initiative", Carnegie Mellon is helping the web make good on the promise that it can offer accessible and effective online education. A lot of educators, cognitive scientists and experts in human computer interaction have put a lot of work into this project and the end result looks impressive. Expect lots of logic here from now on.
