Edexcel A2 Philosophy of Religion &amp; Ethics June 2012

OP

Original post by savvy100

Hi guys - can i ask for the may 31st exam are you planning on doing 1 philosophy or 2 philopsophy questions?
I seem to be the only one in my class to be doing 2 ethics questions :/. Last year it was a pretty much certain that i would get an A in philosophy and ethics but this year im starting to get a bit nervous about it...the anthology is really worrying me. Anyone else have the same concerns? i dont feel like my teacher has taught us HOW to answer correctly.
Philosophy and Ethics is pretty much my strongest subject so really hoping on a good grade (also the may 31st exam is on my birthday :/ ) but yeah hope you guys are finding revision easy :smile:

Well, depends what comes up in the first philosophy box - I want a pure RE question and would definately switch to two ethics if there was a pure Atheism question. Definately doing Religious and ethical language then ethical theory and religious experience as back ups.

I've got exactly that feeling! I have no idea how to write the implications essay - when I got my AS resits in philosophy results in March I was sure I was going to get an A but now I'm not sure. I am so confused about implications and how to write the essays - Developments should be okay, revision is okay and the exam is very similar to foundations I spose. Good luck :smile:

Reply 22

SCheng

Original post by 12lightf

What do you need in this exam? I only need a C overall at A2 to get the grade I need but I want to do better in Developments cause I don't trust myself with Implications haha

Overall I really want an A*, but i'm aware that i'm being quite ambitious :s-smilie:

I've got an A in Philosophy so far 97/100 in Unit 1, and 82/100 in Unit 2. I originally only got a mid B (75/100) in Unit 1, which dragged my overall grade down, which is my i resat the exam in January. I think for me to get an A overall i could get low Bs, but like everyone else i would like to get 90+ in both units :colondollar:

I've firmed Sheffield Uni to do English lit and Philosophy, so i really need to get an A haha. What grades did you get in other units?

Reply 23

OP

Original post by SCheng

Overall I really want an A*, but i'm aware that i'm being quite ambitious :s-smilie:

I've got an A in Philosophy so far 97/100 in Unit 1, and 82/100 in Unit 2. I originally only got a mid B (75/100) in Unit 1, which dragged my overall grade down, which is my i resat the exam in January. I think for me to get an A overall i could get low Bs, but like everyone else i would like to get 90+ in both units :colondollar:

I've firmed Sheffield Uni to do English lit and Philosophy, so i really need to get an A haha. What grades did you get in other units?

Well I would be ecstatic with an A just to meet my offer. After 3 attempts at Unit 1 and 2 at Unit 2 I now have full marks in both so only need low Cs in both Units 3 & 4 so would be so happy with just my 3 As that I need to meet my offer..

Reply 24

TalieAnn

It worries me that everyone is talking about Donovan and Ayer for the implications paper... My class is doing texts by Lafollete, Schneewind and Jamieson. Is anyone else doing texts from these three? I and my whole class are so stuck! We literally have no idea how to write the essay for it. We did a timed essay in class, we haven't got them back yet, but I spent the whole time literally just rewording the text ha! Our teachers arent even too sure how to teach us it! We're all fine on developments, it's just implications ahhh!!! How's everyone else finding it? Any tips? haha

Reply 25

SCheng

Original post by 12lightf

Well I would be ecstatic with an A just to meet my offer. After 3 attempts at Unit 1 and 2 at Unit 2 I now have full marks in both so only need low Cs in both Units 3 & 4 so would be so happy with just my 3 As that I need to meet my offer..

Wow full marks in both, i wish i was able to get full marks in something lol If you don't mind me asking where are you going for uni/what are you doing?

Reply 26

SCheng

Original post by TalieAnn

It worries me that everyone is talking about Donovan and Ayer for the implications paper... My class is doing texts by Lafollete, Schneewind and Jamieson. Is anyone else doing texts from these three? I and my whole class are so stuck! We literally have no idea how to write the essay for it. We did a timed essay in class, we haven't got them back yet, but I spent the whole time literally just rewording the text ha! Our teachers arent even too sure how to teach us it! We're all fine on developments, it's just implications ahhh!!! How's everyone else finding it? Any tips? haha

You must be doing a different implications paper, because the Donovan, Ayer and Westphal articles come under the Philosophy of Religion. For that reason i don't think i could help you sorry. It is quite unusual why your school has chosen those articles.

Reply 27

OP

Original post by TalieAnn

It worries me that everyone is talking about Donovan and Ayer for the implications paper... My class is doing texts by Lafollete, Schneewind and Jamieson. Is anyone else doing texts from these three? I and my whole class are so stuck! We literally have no idea how to write the essay for it. We did a timed essay in class, we haven't got them back yet, but I spent the whole time literally just rewording the text ha! Our teachers arent even too sure how to teach us it! We're all fine on developments, it's just implications ahhh!!! How's everyone else finding it? Any tips? haha

Is that the ethics one? I think most people do philosophy of religion - afraid I can't help you there

Reply 28

OP

Original post by SCheng

Wow full marks in both, i wish i was able to get full marks in something lol If you don't mind me asking where are you going for uni/what are you doing?

Haha, thanks. I don't really have any particular aptitude for the subject - I took 3 attempts at Foundations and 2 at Investigations before I had full marks. Before I only had a mid-B.

All being well, provided I get an A in either Philosophy or Spanish I'm hopefully going to Oxford to do History. Fingers very very crossed haha

Reply 29

Can someone please let me know exactly what I have to know for;
1) Ethical Language?
2) Religious Language?
Thanks :smile:

Reply 30

OP

Original post by headbands,

Can someone please let me know exactly what I have to know for;
1) Ethical Language?
2) Religious Language?
Thanks :smile:

1) Some problems of Ethical Language. 2 is a good number - metaethical problems of defining 'good' and 'right' etc and secondly the Naturalistic Fallacy, Is-Ought Problem, differences between Descriptive and Prescriptive Language. In an essay you can outline these, then talk about how Intuitionism (GE Moore) and Emotivism (AJ Ayer) would deal with these problems.

2. Types of RL - Analogy, Myth & Symbolism, Via Negativa, Equivocal and Univocal Language. Some approaches to RL like Verificationism (Verification and Falsification Principles) and Language Game Theory.

Reply 31

Original post by 12lightf

1) Some problems of Ethical Language. 2 is a good number - metaethical problems of defining 'good' and 'right' etc and secondly the Naturalistic Fallacy, Is-Ought Problem, differences between Descriptive and Prescriptive Language. In an essay you can outline these, then talk about how Intuitionism (GE Moore) and Emotivism (AJ Ayer) would deal with these problems.

2. Types of RL - Analogy, Myth & Symbolism, Via Negativa, Equivocal and Univocal Language. Some approaches to RL like Verificationism (Verification and Falsification Principles) and Language Game Theory.

thanks for this, better get revising it, haven't touched either topic :s-smilie:

What are you learning for the actual exam?

Reply 32

OP

Original post by headbands,

thanks for this, better get revising it, haven't touched either topic :s-smilie:

What are you learning for the actual exam?

No worries. :smile:

I'm learning EL, RL, Religious Experience and Atheism. I have ethical theory as a kind of back up if I want to avoid one of the other three questions.

Reply 33

Original post by 12lightf

No worries. :smile:

I'm learning EL, RL, Religious Experience and Atheism. I have ethical theory as a kind of back up if I want to avoid one of the other three questions.

:O :O :O is that all?! i think I might be panicking then!
So far I have learnt
-Religious experience
- Ontological argument (but i hate this topic so I really don't want to do it haha
- Virtue ethics
-Natural Moral Law
- Little bit of Kant

I don't want to revise all the topics, but I'm worried in case they mix things together with ao1 and ao2 :frown:

Reply 34

Original post by TalieAnn

It worries me that everyone is talking about Donovan and Ayer for the implications paper... My class is doing texts by Lafollete, Schneewind and Jamieson. Is anyone else doing texts from these three? I and my whole class are so stuck! We literally have no idea how to write the essay for it. We did a timed essay in class, we haven't got them back yet, but I spent the whole time literally just rewording the text ha! Our teachers arent even too sure how to teach us it! We're all fine on developments, it's just implications ahhh!!! How's everyone else finding it? Any tips? haha

No sorry our class have been doing;
- Ayer
- Westphal
- Donovan
:s-smilie:

are you doing Edexcel?

Reply 35

OP

Original post by headbands,

:O :O :O is that all?! i think I might be panicking then!
So far I have learnt
-Religious experience
- Ontological argument (but i hate this topic so I really don't want to do it haha
- Virtue ethics
-Natural Moral Law
- Little bit of Kant

I don't want to revise all the topics, but I'm worried in case they mix things together with ao1 and ao2 :frown:

Nah, we've done virtually the same. Ethical Theory encompasses Virtue Ethics, NML and Kantian Deontology. You can plan what to revise by familiarising yourself with the option blocks. Block one is Ontological Arg, Religious Experience and Atheism. Because there's two questions you'll only ever have to learn 2/3. Similarly with block two, there's only RL and Life After Death which can only ever have a question on each (probably fair because both are pretty big).

In terms of ethics, because Ethical Theory is so massive that it often gets both questions to itself in Ethics block 1, sometimes with Morality and Religion thrown in. Block two has Justice, Law and Punishment, Objectivity and Subjectivity (tho i'm never sure if this is its own subject or part of Justice, Law and Punishment) and Ethical Language which always seem to get its own question.

Ergo, with RE, Atheism, RL and EL you'd have it covered. I threw in Ethical Theory in case they do something unforeseen with another question :smile:

Reply 36

Sadsnail

15

Anyone else doing

Religious Experience
Ontological Argument
Atheism
Religious language (verification,falsification,analogy,myth,symbol,language games)

Virtue ethics
natural moral law
the relationship between religion and morality
deontology

????

Reply 37

Sadsnail

15

Original post by 12lightf

Nah, we've done virtually the same. Ethical Theory encompasses Virtue Ethics, NML and Kantian Deontology. You can plan what to revise by familiarising yourself with the option blocks. Block one is Ontological Arg, Religious Experience and Atheism. Because there's two questions you'll only ever have to learn 2/3. Similarly with block two, there's only RL and Life After Death which can only ever have a question on each (probably fair because both are pretty big).

In terms of ethics, because Ethical Theory is so massive that it often gets both questions to itself in Ethics block 1, sometimes with Morality and Religion thrown in. Block two has Justice, Law and Punishment, Objectivity and Subjectivity (tho i'm never sure if this is its own subject or part of Justice, Law and Punishment) and Ethical Language which always seem to get its own question.

Ergo, with RE, Atheism, RL and EL you'd have it covered. I threw in Ethical Theory in case they do something unforeseen with another question :smile:

What's ethical theory??

And can you explain about ethics block 1 ?? :smile:

x

Reply 38

OP