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

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I have these exams on monday too :frown:

I dont have too much time to revise as all my exams are close together

Has anyone got any suggestions on what are the best things to revise as they are likely to come up?
I havent got time to revise all the topics so any suggestions would be great :smile:

Thanks

Reply 421

Ineluctable

Original post by JPearson460

Thank you! Would you mind reading the following and saying if its correct? Sign and Symbol is most definately my downfall, along with pretty much everything else :confused:

1) Signs are easy to decode, symbols are more complex and require decoding
2) Symbols usually communicate something better than it could be put into words
TILLICH
1)Symbols go above and beyond the external world
2)They express something and invite participation in something
3)They open up new levels of reality and reveal "being itself" which is God (or ultimate existence)
4)As symbols participate, they bring a deeper understanding. Use the example that the crucifix participated in Jesus' death, and this brings the symbol a deeper level of understanding
5)They act upon the individual to bring about experience and a response towards the symbol
6) This unlocks the elements of the soul which were otherwise hidden

Is that level of understanding okay do you think?? Also, if you could explain the strenghts and weaknesses in more detail i would really appreciate it, my teacher only gave us the AO1 for this topic! xx

Yes that understanding is perfectly good. This list is not a conclusive list of strengths and weaknesses but it covers the main ones:
1. The whole theory is somewhat vague-Hick questioned the notion of participating in that to which it points
2. This is because it is unclear which part of the language that is the symbol participates. If I said 'God is love', which is the symbol: the statement or the underlying idea of omnibenevolence?
3. You could develop this point and question if religious language could be used as a symbol. Some would say that religious language shouldn't even be considered as symbolic, and if it does, it is not telling us much about God
4. Can symbols participate in the reality of God as much as they do when they apply to human entities? I.e. a flag can become its own sort of reality beyond that which it represents, and become very important for people, but can a religious statement that is meant to be a symbol do the same for God? Like analogy we are still taking that leap from human language to God
5. Human symbols can become obsolete (lose their use) and lose their reality. If a symbol only has a reality in time for certain people, i.e. those who create it and use it, does it represent and participate in any reality about God? It may just mean something for us but say nothing about God that is meaningful or true
6. An advantage is that it avoids anthropomorphism like analogy does, because the symbolic nature of religious language is stressed, so there is less chance that we will take understand religious language in a literal way

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 422

Ineluctable

Original post by Charlotte_Bailey

I have these exams on monday too :frown:

Thanks

Take a look at the links below.

Ethics past questions: http://sites.google.com/site/farrowsthings/exam-papers/exemplar-essays/y13-ethics

Philosophy past questions: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxmYXJyb3dzdGhpbmdzfGd4OjE0OTdiNGE2NDkzODExNmE

Reply 423

Charlotte_Bailey

Original post by Ineluctable

Thanks

They help loads!

Are you taking the exam?

Reply 424

skygirl999

Original post by Charlotte_Bailey

I have these exams on monday too :frown:

Thanks

The general word around the thread is that for ethics: virtue ethics, meta-ethics (as the most likely) then obviously there will be an applied.
As for philosophy: attributes, religious language (as most likely) then it could be anything really, but most people seem to think that miracles and religious experience are not likely to come up together, so one of them and then also life and death...which I suppose isn't helpful as I have now just listed all the topics!

Reply 425

Charlotte_Bailey

Original post by skygirl999

Thanks

Yeah it does help, its hard to say what might come up i suppose because they could be really mean and just confuse us haha!

I really hate Life After Death, its such a big topic!
I can live with miracles but that came up last year didnt it :frown:

How is your revision going?

Reply 426

ajenkins

Does anyone else find distunguising the difference between the Religious Experience and Miracles chapter really hard?! They just merge together in my mind! Someone help me!

Also, i'm screwed.

Original post by ajenkins

Also, i'm screwed.

Same same, i dont know how to revise
Like ive made mind maps of everything and when its infornt of me im fine, but if its not i go completely blank and cant remember anything :angry:

Reply 429

Noodlzzz

Hey guys, this is a really awesome site for philosophy. It has some majorly awesome powerpoints (far better than any book) for everything. MAJOR RECOMMEND!

https://learning.watfordboys.herts.sch.uk/course/view.php?id=133

Reply 430

skygirl999

Original post by Charlotte_Bailey

Thanks

How is your revision going?

You're welcome :smile:

Indeed, I hope the questions are not too harsh :/

I hate life after death too, it encompasses too many things, and I would just end up trying to cover too many things, and then my answer would be vague.

Miracles did come up last year yes, it was an assess Hume question, so I would guess religious experience. But then they do like to keep us on our toes, so it could just be a wider miracles question.

My revision is going alright, there is just so much to look over that its scary! I also never really know how to revise for essay type subjects. How about you?

Reply 431

olivecoll

I'm so screwed i have been focusing on biology and history so left it so late. Need a b to get an A but thinking it could be really hard marking this year.

Also totally changed my essay style writing due to the argumentative base of history, does anyone have any notes or guidelines on what examiners expect the essay style to be? would be really useful :smile:

Reply 432

Charlotte_Bailey

Original post by skygirl999

You're welcome :smile:

My revision hasnt really started :frown:

Yeah i think i am just going to have to take a chance and revise what i think will come up and hope for the best!

Yeah i know there is way too much, it annoys me that they are on the same day too, i know it gets them out of the way but its too much :frown:

I am revising religious experience now and then have to take a gamble!

Reply 433

skygirl999

Original post by olivecoll

I would just advise you to go on the website and have a look. It might be beneficial for you to be writing more argumentative essays.

Original post by Charlotte_Bailey

My revision hasnt really started :frown:

I am revising religious experience now and then have to take a gamble!

I know, its so annoying. I wish they would at least make one an afternoon and one a morning exam, by the last essay my writing is illegible from hand cramp!
Well that's what I would do if I didn't have time, so good luck!

Reply 434

senator88

Original post by Charlotte_Bailey

My revision hasnt really started :frown:

I am revising religious experience now and then have to take a gamble!

For Philosophy make sure you revise religious language as something on it will definitely come up. You could leave one topic out up to you which one though! two might be a risk. For Ethics, Business/enviro can only ever be one question, so you could leave them out, providing you revise meta ethics, free will, virtue, conscience and sexual

Reply 435

Ineluctable

Original post by skygirl999

I think if virtue ethics comes up it will as an applied theory. We would be lucky to virtue ethics as a question itself.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 436

Ineluctable

Original post by olivecoll

Argumentative is good. Constantly evaluate the views/ideas you put down, and question criticisms.

Reply 437

Ineluctable

Original post by Noodlzzz

I'm getting a dangerous site warning from my Firefox.

Reply 438

Ineluctable

Original post by Charlotte_Bailey

Thanks

They help loads!

Are you taking the exam?

Yes, and I only have two days to revise because I had an exam-so I may leave certain topics out

Reply 439

Nayberay

I am finally in officially.

Had 3 exams this week, 1 on Monday, 2 today.

Now A2 P+E on Monday, behind I am on revision but gonna finish my notes today/tomorrow morning.

Cutting it very fine in terms of timing but meh. Hope everyone else is cool. :h: