Epistemic justification theories
What are the core types of reasoning, and how do they differ in structure, certainty, and use?
[Philosophical anchor: Humans seek truth, but operate under constraints of time, knowledge, and uncertainty. These reasoning modes are tools for navigating epistemic limits.]
What distinguishes deductive, inductive, and abductive reasoning in mechanism and reliability?
[Deduction aims for certainty; induction and abduction trade certainty for applicability. Philosophers debate whether induction is rationally justifiable at all — see Hume’s problem of induction.]
What other reasoning modes exist (e.g. analogical, Bayesian, reductive), and when are they used?
[These modes reflect the fact that real-world reasoning often blends formal logic with pragmatism — a key tension in philosophy of mind and AI.]
What is the relationship between truth, validity, soundness, and belief in a logical argument?
[Raises foundational epistemological questions: Can we ever know truth? Must valid reasoning lead to true beliefs?]
What roles do heuristics, axioms, and first principles play in human and formal reasoning systems?
[Explores the origins of reasoning. Is it innate, constructed, or system-relative? What do we assume without proof, and why?]
What is the basic structure of an argument, and how are premises and conclusions distinguished?
[This is the minimal unit of rational discourse. Knowing how arguments work is necessary for evaluating claims.]
How can we determine whether an argument is logically valid or logically sound?
[Logic is about preserving truth — but soundness demands both form and factual truth. This introduces the link between logic and reality.]
What is a syllogism, and how does it function in formal deductive logic?
[An early formalism from Aristotle — foundational to Western philosophical logic.]
What are modus ponens and modus tollens, and how are they used in conditional logic?
[These are the backbone of rigorous reasoning — but are often misapplied in practical settings.]