COR JESU COLLEGE

LAW SCHOOL
LEGAL TECHNIQUE AND LOGIC
COURSE OUTLINE1
ATTY. PHILIP JOHN L. POJAS
FIRST SEMESTER, SY 2016-2017
I. INTRODUCTION
A. History of Logic
B. Civil Law vs. Common Law Tradition
C. The Role of Logic in Law
II. REASONING
A. Basic Concepts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

What is Logic
Propositions and Sentences
Arguments, Premises and Conclusions
More Complex Arguments
Recognizing Arguments
Deduction and Induction
Validity and Truth
Arguments and Explanations

B. Analyzing and Diagramming Arguments

C. Problem Solving
III. LANGUAGE
A. Uses of Language
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
B.

Three Basic Functions of Language

Discourse Serving Multiple Functions
Forms of Discourse
Emotive Words
Kinds of Agreement and Disagreement
Emotively Neutral Language

Definition
1.
2.
3.
4.

Disputes, Verbal Disputes and Definitions

Kinds of Definition and the Resolution of Disputes
Denotation (Extension) and Connotation (Intension)
Extension, and Denotative Definitions

The Outline presents the manner by which Legal Technique & Logic will be taken up
inclass. The Outline is taken mainly from Introduction to Logic by Irving M. Copi and
Carl Cohen.
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5. Intension, and Connotative Definition

6. Rules for Definition by Genus and Difference
IV. DEDUCTIVE REASONING
A. Categorical Propositions
1. Categorical Propositions and Classes
2. Quality, Quantity and Distribution
3. The Traditional Square of Opposition
4. Further Immediate Inferences
5. Existential Import
6. Symbolism and Diagrams for Categorical Propositions
B. Categorical Syllogisms
1.
2.
3.
4.

StandardForm Categorical Syllogisms

The Formal Nature of Syllogistic Argument
Venn Diagram: Technique for Testing Syllogisms
Six Rules of Categorical Syllogisms

C. Arguments in Ordinary Language

1. Reducing the Number of Terms in a Syllogistic Argument
2. Translating Categorical Propositions into Standard Form
3.Uniform Translation
4 . E n t h y m e m e s
5 . S o r i t e s
6. Disjunctive and Hypothetical Syllogisms
7 . T h e D i l e m m a
D. Symbolic Logic
1. The Value of Special Symbols
2. The Symbols for Conjunction, Negation, and Disjunction
3. Conditional Statements and Material Implication
4. Argument Forms and Arguments
5. Statement Forms, Material Equivalence, Logical Equivalence
6. The Paradoxes of Material Implication
7. The Three Laws of Thought
E. The Method of Deduction
1.
2.
3.
4.

Formal Proof of Validity

The Rule of Replacement
Proof of Invalidity
Inconsistency

F. Quantification Theory
1. Singular Propositions
2. Quantification
3. Traditional Subject-Predicate Propositions
4. Proving Validity
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5. Proving Invalidity
6. Asyllogistic Inference
V. INDUCTIVE REASONING
A . I n d u c t i v e G e n e r a l i z a t i o n s (Induction by Simple Enumeration)
B. Analogy and Probable Inference
1 .
A n a l o g y
2. Appraising Analogical Arguments
3. Refutation by Logical Analogy
C .
D.

C a u s a l i t y
Probability