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Group for those who do OCR A2 Philosophy & Ethics [Post Exam Discussion]

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Original post by Forever a Gnome
Yeah I'm trying to cover everything before Monday, think I'll be having a couple of all-nighters :/


same ! but i'm definitely missing out environment for ethics and revelation of scripture and attributes of God for philosophy.
Original post by JPearson460
IM REALLY STRESSING ABOUT MONDAY!

Basically i'm really not confident about religious experience and my teacher has gone away and no one can help me! Could anyyyyoneee explain it to me??
Also i really dont get Tillich's sign and symbol section in religious language. Im not sure what he means by "being itself" and the whole "symbols are dynamic" thing. can anyone help me??

THANK YOOU X


For religious experience just go over the specification and make sure you have information covering the main points. If the below information about symbols isn't clear just say

Tillich:
1. Sign points to something, symbol participates in that to which it points i.e. without a symbol the reality to what it is pointing at would be something less-the symbol becomes part of the reality

2. Don't forget symbols can die/lose their meaning

3. Ground of being just means that God is the basis of everything and the meaning behind everything-it can only be known through symbols, cannot be conveyed in any other way

4. Religious language-saying something about God participates in the reality of God. Tillich can confuse people here with the idea that a term is "affirmed and negated" by the reality of God. If I were to say God is love, it is affirmed because this is what God is, but the term is utterly inadequate-it is an admission of the inadequacy of religious language

Then you have to consider the strengths and weaknesses.
1. Obviously it is very vague, so don't worry if that is what you thought-this can be a criticism
2. Hick questioned the notion of participating in that to which it points
3. Which part of a proposition participates? Can language be used as a symbol? Do symbols even have to involve words?
3. Can symbols participate in the reality of God as much as they do when they apply to human entities?
4. Human symbols can become obsolete and lose their reality. If really only has a reality in time for certain people, does it represent any reality about God?
5. An advantage is that it avoids anthropomorphism like analogy does
(edited 12 years ago)
Is liberty of indifference associated with soft determinism or libertarianism? And I assume liberty of spontaneity is associated with determinism...
Also did any philosopher in particular come up with these? Can't seem to find out anywhere.
Original post by philly.tidd
Is liberty of indifference associated with soft determinism or libertarianism? And I assume liberty of spontaneity is associated with determinism...
Also did any philosopher in particular come up with these? Can't seem to find out anywhere.


Leibniz and liberty of indifference is the idea that our choices are free, so more linked with libertarianism but soft determinism in some senses.
Reply 364
Avatar for Ideal.
Ideal.
Just to clarify one last time: IS there always 2 applied ethics questions?
Original post by Ideal.
Just to clarify one last time: IS there always 2 applied ethics questions?


well if sexual ethics counts as applied ethics then yes. But they never put business and environmental ethics up on the same paper. hope that helps :smile:
Reply 366
Avatar for Ideal.
Ideal.
Is there anywhere that OCR have confirmed this? Or is it just coincidence that it has happened so far, and thus people are deducing that it always happens?
Reply 367
Avatar for Ideal.
Ideal.
Just seems stupid in my opinion. Why woul our teachers not just teach us all the applied ethics throughout the whole year as we know they will come up? :s-smilie:
Original post by Anna Louise
well if sexual ethics counts as applied ethics then yes. But they never put business and environmental ethics up on the same paper. hope that helps :smile:


So would it be alright to leave out business and enviro completely seeing as it could only ever be 1 our of 4 questions? Providing you revised all the other topics, of course!
Original post by SpriteOrSevenUp
I'm crapping it this year for philosophy and ethics...so much is riding on this one subject :frown:


agreed :frown: feels like I'm learning enough information for two seperate A levels.
Reply 370
Avatar for Kar09
Kar09
Original post by SpriteOrSevenUp
Freud believed that there were three parts to the human psyche: the id, ego and super-ego

The id refers to our unconscious desires, and is all about pleasure-seeking

The ego is almost like a front that we put on for society, in order to cover up our true desires and to conform to society. It tries to create a balance between our inner-desires and reality, and often represses our id.

The super-ego is formed as a result of this repression and feeling of disapproval from society. This is split into two parts: the ego ideal and the conscience.


O right. Thanks for that. :smile:
My friend today said that in some past papers the questions have been given differently. Rather than 4 questions which you chose any two of, they give two sets of 3 questions and you chose one from each. Is this possible? I don't think so, but he seemed convinced :/
Original post by Ideal.
Is there anywhere that OCR have confirmed this? Or is it just coincidence that it has happened so far, and thus people are deducing that it always happens?


coincidence, from looking at past papers. i haven't seen it specified anywhere but its clear from the pattern of the papers that's how it must work. someone posted a link to two 'prediction' tables where which topics were on what papers are listed in a chart so it's easy to go through and try and deduce what may possibly come up.. provided your willing to take the risk that is ! hahaa :P
Original post by SpriteOrSevenUp
Yup :smile: That's how I think about this topic as well.

Try and use the words divinely dictated and divinely inspired as well for technical language.

A belief in propositional revelation suggests that the Bible is divinely dictated - God reveals the message to a passive writer who records it word for word.

Non-propositional revelation - divinely inspired - the author is inspired by God to write the Bible, but it is not divinely dictated :smile:


Thank you muchly :smile:
Original post by senator88
So would it be alright to leave out business and enviro completely seeing as it could only ever be 1 our of 4 questions? Providing you revised all the other topics, of course!


i would say so yeah! provided you don't mind limiting your choice of questions to just 3, or at the worst 4 ! i'm leaving out both revelation of scripture and attributes of god for philosophy so i'd say just go for it, it's your choice if you want to take the risk ! last year i tried to deduce what would be on and missed out 1 or 2 topics completely and i have the highest mark in the class for as.. not to brag or anything :P hahaa ! soo yeahh if your willing to take the risk it can pay off :smile: just make sure you know the topics you are going to revise thoroughly !
Original post by Anna Louise
i would say so yeah! provided you don't mind limiting your choice of questions to just 3, or at the worst 4 ! i'm leaving out both revelation of scripture and attributes of god for philosophy so i'd say just go for it, it's your choice if you want to take the risk ! last year i tried to deduce what would be on and missed out 1 or 2 topics completely and i have the highest mark in the class for as.. not to brag or anything :P hahaa ! soo yeahh if your willing to take the risk it can pay off :smile: just make sure you know the topics you are going to revise thoroughly !


Oh well done! :smile: i can't remember which ones i left out last year, but the ontological argument came up which i was so happy about cos it was the only one I felt confident one! Yeah for the Philosophy part I am definitely leaving out attributes of God, Boethius put me off! Hoping for Life after death or religious language
Original post by Ideal.
Just to clarify one last time: IS there always 2 applied ethics questions?



Original post by Anna Louise
well if sexual ethics counts as applied ethics then yes. But they never put business and environmental ethics up on the same paper. hope that helps :smile:


Look at the site, it says what types of questions have come up and when.

http://sites.google.com/site/farrowsthings/exam-papers/exemplar-essays/y13-ethics
Original post by Ideal.
Just seems stupid in my opinion. Why woul our teachers not just teach us all the applied ethics throughout the whole year as we know they will come up? :s-smilie:


because:

a) it's just guess work, we don't know for certain whether they don't put both environment and business up on the same paper, it just seems that way from looking at past papers !

b) how do we know which will come up, business or environment ? if any, one year they could just scrap the usual 'pattern' which seems to occur on the past papers.

c) pupils may struggle with the applied ethics and be stronger at say conscience, or free will and determinism, so only teaching applied ethics wouldn't do students any justice, it may hinder their grade. which would also effect the school results and where they place in the league table, obviously some schools aren't it, but hopefully you get what i'm trying to say :P

so, d) if they did just teach applied ethics and it back fired it wouldn't look very good for the school.

sorry for the long list :tongue: but basically its our choice whether we want to try and 'predict' what might come up, and hence cut down our revision ! but it is a risky business and i don't think our teachers would encourage, or advise it. therefore, there presumable not going to miss off parts off the syllabus, they're going to cover it all to give students the best chance and achieving the grade they deserve.
Reply 378
Avatar for Ideal.
Ideal.
Ok, I understand now on the applied ethics, it seems to be the pattern OCR are taking, but there is nowhere they have explicitly stated this to be the case.

On another topic, does anyone have thae Jan 11 mark scheme?
Original post by senator88
Oh well done! :smile: i can't remember which ones i left out last year, but the ontological argument came up which i was so happy about cos it was the only one I felt confident one! Yeah for the Philosophy part I am definitely leaving out attributes of God, Boethius put me off! Hoping for Life after death or religious language


thanks ! and snapp :P i worked out that was probably highly likely to come up because all the other arguments: cosmological, teleological and the moral argument, which came under the existence of god part of the syllabus and already previously been on, so it was quite likely they were working there way, paper by paper, through this section. was very happy it came up :smile:

i only remember revising the ontological argument, aristotle and the problem of evil in detail :P so lucky both the ontological and aristotle came up ! but aristotle was in relation to the god topic, which kind of threw me :P

me too ! absolutely hate boethius ! my philosophy teacher is awful, she's so boring, i'm afraid to say i've slept through most of her lessons :P hahaa ! and omg sammee ! there exactly the new topic i'm laying my cards on ! those and religious experience. it seems to be that it's either a question on miracles OR religious experience. And from looking at the 'prediction' table thing it's been miracles, religious experience, and miracles... so i'm thinking this year it'll be religious experience ? what do think ? i don't know whether i should look over miracles just to be on the safe side but there's so much i need to cover already !

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