# Logic and Philosophy of Science (LPS) courses UC Irvine · 2026-2027 Catalog · 59 courses Source: https://catalogue.uci.edu/allcourses/lps/ "Offered" lists sections in this catalog year's class schedules: Fall 2026. ### LPS 19 — AI Literacy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as SOC SCI 19 Introduction to the basics of contemporary artificial intelligence. Distinction between symbolic and neural AIs. Generative AI, prediction engines, recommendation systems, machine perception. Near-term ethical issues, medium-term economic implications, long-term risk, and safety. ### LPS 29 — Critical Reasoning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 13 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as PHILOS 29 - (II and Vb.) Introduction to analysis and reasoning. The concepts of argument, premise, and conclusion, validity and invalidity, consistency and inconsistency. Identifying and assessing premises and inferences. Deductive versus inductive reasoning, and introduction to the probability calculus. Evaluating definitions. Informal fallacies. ### LPS 30 — Introduction to Symbolic Logic - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as LSCI 43, PHILOS 30 - (Vb) An introduction to the symbolism and methods of the logic of statements, including evaluation of arguments by truth tables, the techniques of natural deduction, and semantic tableaux. ### LPS 31 — Introduction to Inductive Logic - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 10 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as PHILOS 31 - (II and Va) Philosophical questions concerning the foundations of scientific inference, e.g., the traditional problem of induction, the Goodman paradox, the concept of cause, Mill's method of inductive reasoning, probability calculus, different interpretations of probability, and their interaction in inductive reasoning. ### LPS 40 — The Nature of Scientific Inquiry - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as PHILOS 41 - (II) Investigates the nature, scope, and status of scientific knowledge and the methods used to acquire it. Uses concrete historical examples from a variety of scientific fields to identify distinctive features of the scientific enterprise and explore their significance. ### LPS 50 — Science in the Public Sphere - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 51 - (II or III) Investigates the role of science in a democratic society. Discusses the scope and limits of scientific knowledge in the context of arguments for the special status of science in political decision-making. Uses concrete historical examples from a variety of fields. ### LPS 60 — The Making of Modern Science - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as HISTORY 60 - (II or IV) Surveys the history of science and mathematics since the Scientific Revolution, examining central developments both chronologically and thematically, as well as investigating their significance for contemporary philosophical debates about the role and status of current scientific theories. ### LPS H81 — What is Space? - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Campuswide Honors Collegium only - (II) Historical, philosophical, scientific exploration of the concept of "space." Questions of interest include: What kind of a thing is space? How can we know what space is like? How is space different from time? ### LPS H83 — Evolutionary Foundations of Human Moral Psychology - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Campuswide Honors Collegium only - (II or III.) Examines origin and function(s) of human moral psychology from an evolutionary point of view, drawing on theories and experimental findings from evolutionary biology, social psychology, developmental and comparative psychology, primatology, anthropology, and philosophy. ### LPS 91 — Sex, Race, and Science - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 91 - Overlaps with LPS H91 - (III) Discusses the origins of biological sex, dynamics of sexual selection, sex differences in humans, and the construction of gender in human societies. Seeks to understand the role social values play in the creation of science. ### LPS H91 — The Philosophy and Biology of Sex - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Campuswide Honors Collegium only - (II and III) Covers the origins of biological sex, dynamics of sexual selection, the evolution and cultural creation of sexual behavior in humans, and the construction of gender in human societies. ### LPS H95 — Jurisprudence and Constitutional Law - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Campuswide Honors Collegium only - (III) Applies competing theories of the nature of law and legal reasoning to evaluate decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court in controversial areas of constitutional law such as free speech, privacy, sexual conduct, affirmative action, and political campaign contributions. ### LPS 100W — Writing Philosophy - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 100W - (Ib) Discussion of those aspects of writing of special importance in philosophy, e.g., philosophical terminology, techniques for evaluating arguments, philosophical definitions and theories. At least 4,000 words of assigned composition based on philosophical readings. ### LPS 104 — Introduction to Logic - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as LSCI 142, PHILOS 104 Introduction to sentence logic, including truth tables and natural deduction; and to predicate logic, including semantics and natural deduction. ### LPS 105A — Introduction to Set Theory and Mathematical Reasoning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as LSCI 145A, PHILOS 105A An introduction to the basic working vocabulary of mathematical reasoning and proof. Topics include sets, Boolean operations, ordered n-tuples, relations, functions, induction, and their applications to mathematical philosophy. ### LPS 105B — Metalogic - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** LSCI 145A or LPS 105A or PHILOS 105A - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as LSCI 145B, PHILOS 105B - Overlaps with MATH 150 Introduction to formal syntax (proof theory) and semantics (model theory) for first-order logic, including the deduction, completeness, compactness, and Löewenheim-Skolem theorems. ### LPS 105C — Undecidability and Incompleteness - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** LSCI 145B or LPS 105B or PHILOS 105B - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as LSCI 145C, PHILOS 105C - Concurrent: LPS 205C Introduction to the formal theory of effective processes, including recursive functions, Turing machines, Church's thesis, and proofs of Göedel's incompleteness theorem for arithmetic, and Church's undecidability theorem for first-order logic. ### LPS 106 — Topics in Logic - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** (LPS 105A or PHILOS 105A or LSCI 145A) and (LPS 105B or PHILOS 105B or LSCI 145B) and (LPS 105C or PHILOS 105C or LSCI 145C) - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as LSCI 106, PHILOS 106 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Selected topics in mathematical or philosophical logic. ### LPS 108 — Topics in Induction, Probability, and Decision Theory - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 108 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Selected topics in induction, probability, and decision theory. ### LPS 113 — Topics in Modern Philosophy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as PHILOS 113 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Focuses on the works of central philosophical figures of modern Philosophy (e.g., Descartes, Leibniz, Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Kant) or on the treatment of one or more central philosophical problems by a number of these figures. ### LPS 115 — Topics in History of Analytic Philosophy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 115 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Review of central theories or figures in the history of analytic philosophy. Emphasis on writings of Frege, Russell, Schlick, Carnap, and Quine. Topics include the nature of meaning and truth, the synthetic/analytic distinction, and scientific knowledge. ### LPS 120 — Topics in Metaphysics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 120 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Examines central philosophical questions concerning our own fundamental nature and that of the world around us (e.g., causation and necessity, determination, free will, personal identity, the mind-body problem). ### LPS 121 — Topics in the Theory of Knowledge - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 121 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary One or more topics in the theory of knowledge, e.g., the nature of rational justification, of perceptual knowledge, of a priori knowledge. ### LPS H123 — What is Disease? - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Campuswide Honors Collegium only - (II) Explores philosophical issues associated with scientific efforts to understand and explain disease. ### LPS H125 — What Is Time? - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Campuswide Honors Collegium only - (III) Engages the question "what is time?" by drawing on physics, philosophy, fiction, film, and psychology. Organized around understanding and addressing the tension between time as represented in physics and our immediate temporal experience. ### LPS 135A — The Scientific Revolution - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as HISTORY 135A, PHILOS 135A An examination of early modern European science from 1500-1700. Includes primary readings from central figures (Copernicus, Harvey, Bacon, Descartes, et al.); themes include the impact of printing, humanism, patronage, technology, and discussion of the term "revolution" in this context. ### LPS 140 — Topics in Philosophy of Science - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 140 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Selected topics in contemporary philosophy of science, e.g., the status of theoretical entities, the confirmation of theories, the nature of scientific explanation. ### LPS 141B — Geometry and Spacetime - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** MATH 2D and (MATH 3A or MATH 6G) - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 141B An examination of the foundations of the special theory of relativity, with emphasis on the geometry of Minkowski spacetime, and its relation to both Euclidean and non-Euclidean (hyperbolic) plane geometries. ### LPS 141D — Probability and Determinism - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** MATH 2D and (MATH 3A or MATH 6G) - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 141D An examination of a cluster of interrelated issues concerning probability, determinism, logic, and the foundations of quantum mechanics. ### LPS H141 — Honors Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Overlaps with LPS 141C - Restrictions: Campuswide Honors Collegium only An examination of the standard von Neumann-Dirac formulation of quantum mechanics. The quantum measurement problem is discussed along with several proposed solutions, including GRW, many-worlds, man-minds, and Bohm's theory. ### LPS 143 — Topics in Philosophy of Psychology - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 143 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary - Restrictions: Philosophy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Selected topics in the philosophy of psychology, e.g., the nature of psychological explanation, reductionism, issues in cognitive, behavioral, and neuroscience. ### LPS 144 — Topics in Philosophy of Social Science - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 144 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Selected topics in the philosophy of the social sciences, e.g.: Is their goal to understand behavior or to predict and control it? Are they normative and the natural sciences not? Do they incorporate philosophical doctrines about language and mind? ### LPS 145 — Topics in Philosophy of Language - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as LSCI 141, PHILOS 145 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Selected topics in the philosophy of language, e.g., the nature of meaning, mechanisms of reference, speech acts. ### LPS 147 — Topics in Philosophy of Mathematics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 147 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Selected historical and contemporary topics in the philosophy of mathematics, e.g., mathematical truth and ontology, mathematical knowledge, the nature and role of proof, the workings of mathematics in application. ### LPS 199 — Independent Study - **Units:** 1-4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 12 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Repeatability: May be taken for credit for 12 units Independent research with Logic and Philosophy of Science faculty. ### LPS 205A — Introduction to Set Theory and Mathematical Reasoning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as PHILOS 205A An introduction to the basic working vocabulary of mathematical reasoning and proof. Topics include sets, Boolean operations, ordered n-tuples, relations, functions, induction, and their applications to mathematical philosophy. ### LPS 205B — Metalogic - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** PHILOS 205A with a minimum grade of B- or LPS 205A with a minimum grade of B- - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 205B Formal syntax (proof theory) and semantics (model theory) for first-order logic, including the deduction, completeness, compactness, and Loewenheim-Skolem theorems. ### LPS 205C — Undecidability and Incompleteness - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** PHILOS 205B with a minimum grade of B- or LPS 205B with a minimum grade of B- - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 205C - Concurrent: LPS 105C Formal theory of effective processes, including recursive function, Turing machines, Church's thesis, proofs of Goedel's incompleteness theorem for arithmetics, and Church's undecidability for first-order logic. ### LPS 206 — Topics in Logic - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as PHILOS 206 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of logic. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 213 — Topics in Modern Philosophy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as PHILOS 213 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of modern philosophy. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 215 — Topics in Analytic Philosophy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 215 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of analytic philosophy. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 220 — Topics in Metaphysics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 220 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of metaphysics. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 221 — Topics in Epistemology - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as PHILOS 221 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of epistemology. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 221A — Medical Epistemology - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 221A Analysis of epistemological issues concerning medical research and healthcare. Topics may include medical evidence, transmission of medical knowledge in the doctor-patient interaction, medical expertise, epistemology of medical disagreement, classification of illness, well-being, philosophy of pain, or medical decision making. ### LPS 232 — Topics in Political and Social Philosophy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 232 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of political and social philosophy. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 240 — Topics in Philosophy of Science - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 2 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as PHILOS 240 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of philosophy of science. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 241 — Topics in Philosophy of Physics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 241 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of philosophy of physics. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 242 — Topics in Philosophy of Biology - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 242 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of philosophy of biology. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 243 — Topics in Philosophy of Psychology - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 243 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Selected topics in the philosophy of psychology, e.g., the nature of psychological explanation, reductionism, issues in cognitive, behavioral, and neuroscience. ### LPS 244 — Topics in Philosophy of Social Science - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Same as PHILOS 244 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of philosophy and social science. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 244A — PPE Proseminar I - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 244A Introduces tools and concepts useful for working in the intersection of philosophy, political science, and economics. These are drawn from probability theory, decision theory, and the psychology of belief, knowledge, and rational choice. ### LPS 244B — PPE Proseminar II - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 244B Introduces some of the main theoretical topics at the intersection of philosophy, political science, and economics. PPE II covers (1) Rational Choice based game theory, (2) Evolutionary Game Theory, and (3) Voting and Social Choice. ### LPS 245 — Topics in Philosophy of Language - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 245 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of philosophy of language. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 246 — Topics in Philosophy of Logic - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 246 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of philosophy of logic. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 247 — Topics in Philosophy of Mathematics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PHILOS 247 - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Studies in selected areas of philosophy of mathematics. Topics addressed vary each quarter. ### LPS 289 — Logic and Philosophy of Science Workshop - **Units:** 1-4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Grading Option: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times A two- or three-quarter-long workshop on selected topics in logic and philosophy of science. ### LPS 298 — Independent Study - **Units:** 4-12 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 12 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Repeatability: May be taken for credit for 12 units Independent research with Logic and Philosophy of Science Faculty. ### LPS 299 — Directed Research - **Units:** 1-12 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 12 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times Directed study with Logic and Philosophy of Science Faculty. ### LPS 399 — University Teaching - **Units:** 4-12 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/lps.md) - Grading Option: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only - Repeatability: May be taken for credit for 12 units Required of and limited to Teaching Assistants.