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How to Make Good Arguments and Avoid Bad Ones

This course is part of the UBC Future Global Leaders on-campus program for high school students ages 15–18. Combines morning classes and afternoon pre-university workshops.

Philosophy has studied the art of making good arguments and avoiding bad ones since Plato and Aristotle in Ancient Greece. In fact, the very word "argument," as well as many of our standard terms for evaluating arguments ("valid", "sound", etc.), come from philosophy. In this course we offer an overview of the history and theory of arguments, with many concrete examples of good and bad arguments. You also have ample opportunity to develop the skill of making and recognizing good arguments and exposing bad ones.  

This is a great course for all students, regardless of areas of interest. Overall, argumentation develops skills that are critical to success at university and needed to solve problems in real-world situations, from personal disagreements to peace negotiations between warring nations.

Dr. ANDERS KRAAL, PhD, is a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at UBC. He has published papers in various areas of philosophy, including logic, philosophy of religion, and the history of philosophy. He is also the author of the recent monograph, The Problem of God in David Hume (Cambridge University Press, 2023).

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