Wellington Secondary College
Philosophy Handbook 2016
Units 1 & 2
M1 Staffroom
VCAA PhilosophyCourse Structure
Texts
Timelines
Expectations
Philosophical Essay Writing
Using Quotes and Authentication
Useful Phrases
Assessments and Assessment Criteria
Philosophical Terms: Logic and Reasoning
Vocabulary
VCAA PhilosophyCourse Structure:
Unit 1Existence, Knowledge and Reasoning
AoS1Metaphysics
AoS2Epistemology
AoS3Introduction to logic and reasoning
Unit 2Questions of Value
AoS1Ethics and moral philosophy
AoS2Further problems in value theory
AoS3Techniques of reasoning
Texts:
In Units One and Two Philosophy, we will utilise many primary and secondary sources, including film, essays, images, textbooks and website/journal articles. All of these will be provided by the College.
Term One
WEEK
/UNITS OF WORK
/ ASSESSMENTS0
27/1/2016 / Students start on Friday
1
1/2/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study Three
Logic and reasoning
2
8/2/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study Three
Logic and reasoning
3
15/2/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study Two
Epistemology / Outcome One:
Logic and reasoning test
4
22/2/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study Two
Epistemology
5
29/3/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study Two
Epistemology
6
7/3/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study Two
Epistemology
7
14/3/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study Two
Epistemology
8
21/3/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study Two
Epistemology
Term Two
WEEK
/UNITS OF WORK
/ ASSESSMENTS1
11/4/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study One
Metaphysics / Outcome: Epistemology
2
18/4/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study One
Metaphysics
3
25/4/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study One
Metaphysics
4
2/5/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study One
Metaphysics
5
9/5/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study One
Metaphysics
6
16/5/2016 / Unit One, Area of Study One
Metaphysics
7
23/5/2016 / Unit One Exam Preparation / Outcome: Metaphysics
8
30/5/2016 / EXAMS (TBC)
9
6/6/2016 / EXAMS (TBC)
10
13/6/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study Three
Techniques of reasoning
11
20/6/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study Three
Techniques of reasoning
Term Three
WEEK
/UNITS OF WORK
/ ASSESSMENTS1
11/7/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study One
Ethics and moral philosophy / Outcome:
Techniques of reasoning
2
18/7/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study One
Ethics and moral philosophy
3
25/7/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study One
Ethics and moral philosophy
4
1/8/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study One
Ethics and moral philosophy
5
8/8/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study One
Ethics and moral philosophy
6
15/8/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study One
Ethics and moral philosophy
7
22/8/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study Two
Political Philosophy / Outcome:
Ethics and moral philosophy
8
29/8/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study Two
Political Philosophy
9
5/9/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study Two
Political Philosophy
10
12/9/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study Two
Aesthetics
Term Four
WEEK
/UNITS OF WORK
/ ASSESSMENTS1
3/10/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study Two
Aesthetics
2
10/10/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study Two
Aesthetics
3
17/10/2016 / Unit Two, Area of Study Two
Aesthetics
4
24/10/2016 / EXAM REVISION (TBC) / Outcome:
Further problems in value theory
5
31/10/2016 / EXAMS/EXAM REVISION (TBC)
NB: These timelines are a guide only. Modifications to assessments, study order, study duration, etc. may need to be made during the year. Please see your teacher if you have any questions or concerns.
VCE Philosophy Units One and Two
Course Expectations
Those who wish to study Philosophy are expected to do the following:
Be open: to new ways of working, new ways of thinking, and being exposed to new ideas and theories.
Be organised: like all VCE study designs, the Philosophy timelines are quite tight. This means that you, I and everyone in the class need to organise our time, responsibilities and resources as well as we can. You must read the allotted materials for homework. You must complete the required tasks; if this cannot be done in class time, it must be completed, by negotiation, for homework. And I must have our resources and assessments ready in a timely fashion. We will never do ‘busy work’; even when I am absent, your work will be relevant and valuable. We must work well together.
Be mature: the ideas and theories we discuss in VCE Philosophy contain some mature themes and are quite complex. You will need to approach these issues with maturity and respect; this includes respect for philosophers, cultures and, most importantly, each other.
Be honest: each student will experience VCE differently, and each student will have different responsibilities to deal with. Please be honest about how you are coping, what you’d like help with and your overall needs. If something is challenging, makes you uncomfortable or makes you feel a certain way, express these thoughts and allow your peers, teachers and other school staff to assist you whenever needed.
Philosophical Essay Writing
We will work extensively on perfecting your philosophical essay writing skills over the course of the year. If the following seems sightly strange to you now, don’t panic – it will become clear.
Philosophy essays revolve around a relatively simple paragraph structure which is used for most responses, including ‘short answer questions’. Each body paragraph should consist of an analysis of an idea or theory and an evaluation of that idea or theory. A full explanation of philosophical essay structure is below. It is quite different to the styles of essay writing used in English, but many of the skills you have learnt in English are transferable to Philosophy.
Topic:the topics are specific in terms of the area of study to which they relate, but often allow for student interpretation when it comes to responding to that topic. For example, an essay topic for an Aesthetics outcome could be: Discuss the following: “All art is quite useless.” ~ Oscar Wilde.
Structure:The introduction of a philosophical essay, like an English essay, addresses the topic and defines any key terms which may have multiple interpretations. The problem being investigated should also be given some kind of context (if this is not already specified by the topic). The introduction should also mention the main views that need to be considered, as well as any particular philosophers/texts which are relevant to this issue. You may also state a personal opinion in your introduction, but you are not at all obliged to do so.
As mentioned above, thebody paragraphs in a philosophical essay follow an analysis/evaluation structure and do not need to follow a standard English structure like TEEAL, but elements of TEEAL are a part of all good essay paragraphs, for example, using topic sentences to signpost the direction of your thoughts.
An analysis is the explanation and justification of a particular idea, argument or theory. This is where you demonstrate your knowledge and understanding, and provide details which exhibit the depth of your knowledge. You should include premises, conclusions and examples relating to the idea in question.
Once you have analysed an idea, you need to evaluate it; this is where you exhibit your ability to think philosophically. An evaluation dissects the idea that has just been analysed and considers whether or not it is logically valid and sound (these are terms which have very specific definitions in Philosophy, separate to their general English meanings), what are the strengths and weaknesses of the idea, are there any fallacies being used, and also expresses counterarguments (opposing arguments). A detailed evaluation may also counter these counterarguments, bringing the reader back around to agreeing with the analysis.
The body of your essay is generally best structured with paragraphs which alternate between analysis and evaluation, but occasionally it may be appropriate to write several points of analysis together and then evaluate these in one block at the end.
The conclusion of a Philosophy essay should indicate your position on the issue at hand. It need not summarise every point that has been made, but should indicate why you have come to your conclusion. It may be that you cannot decide a definite answer to the problem posed, either due to equally compelling arguments or because the answer simply cannot be known at this time, in which case, you should state why this is so. You may also indicate where the inquiry needs to go from here – what further questions need to be asked or what direction we, as philosophers, need to travel in order to further our philosophical discovery.
You should not go into an outcome or exam knowing exactly what you will write. Be prepared to write about a number of ideas, theories and viewpoints, and see which one(s) the topics and questions relate to.
General skills and considerations: The following are ideas and skills to consider when writing your philosophical essay (and also for responding to short answer questions, which require you to analyse and evaluate):
- Use formal English – this includes expanding contractions (can’t cannot ), avoiding colloquialisms (kids children ) and taking great care with spelling and grammar.
- You may use first person pronouns, e.g. ‘I believe this is the case’.
- Clarity of expression is essential; simple, clear statements should be used over florid language which convolutes meaning.
- You may include subheadings.
- Dot points may be used (when necessary) to clarify a particular point or express an argument in standard form.
- You may change your point of view during the course of writing your essay, but ensure you have noted this clearly and explained why.
- A long essay does equate to a good essay; while detail is important, a good essayist is able to decide when detail is needed and when it’s best to be concise.
Using Quotes and Authentication
As with most subjects, it is helpful and important to use quotes from reliable sources to support your analyses and evaluations.
Whenever possible, use quotes from relevant, reliable primary sources rather than secondary ones, and check these sources carefully to ensure the accuracy of the quote.
Whenever you use someone else’s words OR ideas, you MUST attribute them to that person. Quotes should always be contained within quotation marks.
Hint: use ellipses to tailor quotes.You may sometimes find that the ‘perfect quote’ is several lines long; in order to still use the quote, you may need to clip it by deciding which phrases are essential to the point you are trying to support. When removing words or phrases from the middle of a quote, use an ellipsis to show the reader that something has been removed, for example:
Original: “Among the essential features of this situation is that no one knows his place in society, his class position or social status, nor does anyone know his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities, his intelligence, strength, and the like.” – John Rawls
Edited version: “…no one knows his place in society… nor does anyone know his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities…”
When tailoring a quote to your needs, it is essential to maintain the author’s intent/meaning. For example, you cannot replace the word ‘not’ with an ellipsis to create the opposite meaning. Such a rule also applies to any use of quotes.
All of your work (written, oral, homework, class work, outcomes, exams… everything) must be your own (or attributed). This includes examples, analogies, definitions, images… everything. When someone steals an idea or quote, they are not exhibiting the values of philosophy.
Useful Phrases
The following phrases indicate a premise:
If… then…
Because…
…is demonstrated/indicated by…
Since…
The reason for this is…
…implies…
We can infer from…
Either… or…
The following phrases indicate a conclusion:
Therefore…
As such…
Thus…
Hence…
Consequently…
This establishes/shows that…
So…
You may find these phrases useful when writing an analysis:
The theory’s original context was…
[The philosopher] explains this through the analogy/example of…
This is evidenced by…
You may find these phrases useful when writing an evaluation:
While the argument is valid, it is not sound because…
The argument is invalid because…
Because the argument is inductive, we cannot assume it will apply…
[The philosopher] has committed the fallacy of…
The argument is fallacious because…
This could be countered by…
…which proves that the argument is sound
Assessments and Assessment Criteria
There will be several modes of assessment in Units One and Two Philosophy. These may include, but are not limited to: short written responses, extended written responses, essays, multiple choice tests, oral presentations, and participation in class activities. Some assessments will be completed under exam conditions, but others may be completed in class and at home.
You will be advised prior to all official outcomes of the date/time and nature of the task.
In general, you will be assessed on:
- Your understanding of the material covered in the course
- Your ability to evaluate that material
- Research and critical thinking skills
- Respect shown for ideas and people
Philosophical Terms: Logic and Reasoning
Some of the terms and definitions below will not make a lot of sense without some additional context, so don’t worry if they seem complicated at first. Their meanings and application will become clear as we learn about them in class.
Statement: an utterance (spoken) or an inscription (written) this is capable of bearing a ‘truth value’, i.e. it is capable of being true or being false.
Argument: A set of premises in support of a conclusion.
Premise:A statement which aims to, in conjunction with otherpremises, justify a conclusion.
Conclusion:The end point of an argument; a statement which has, ideally, been proven by atleast two supporting premises.
Inductive:An inductive argument is one where the premises provide some evidence for the truth of the conclusion, i.e. if the premises are true, it is improbable that the conclusion could be false.
Deductive:A deductive argument aims to provide conclusive proof of its conclusions. A deductive argument is either valid or invalid.
Valid:Arguments are valid if the truth of the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion; in other words, if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true.
Sound:An argument is sound if and only if it is valid and all of its premises are actually true. Otherwise, a deductive argument is unsound.
Analogy: a comparison between two objects or ideas which highlights their similarities.
Logically possible world: similar to the concept of parallel universes; the way the world could be (e.g. no contradictions like a three-sided square).
Consistent: when two statements could both be true within the same logically possible world.
Contradiction: when two statements cannot both be true within the same logically possible world.
Entailment: when one thing must follow from another.
Counterargument: an argument which proves (or attempts to prove) a previous argument false.
Counterexample: an example which proves (or attempts to prove) a previous example false/irrelevant.
Fallacy:a flawed mode of reasoning.
Thought experiment: a consideration of a particular idea (often utilising elements of fiction) in order to think through its consequences.
Definition & example:Other word forms:
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Wellington Secondary College
Philosophy
Unit One
Holiday Homework
M1 Staffroom
Logic and Reasoning:
1. Read the article titled ‘12 Cognitive Biases Which Prevent You From Being Rational’.
2. Choose four of the biases listed and explain a time when you fell victim to each of them.
Epistemology:
1. How do you know what you know? List all the sources of what we generally deem ‘knowledge’.
2. Rank/group the list above (this can be done by creating a mind map, numbering, colour-coding, etc.) in terms of the most and least reliable sources of knowledge.
3. Write a short reflection on the two activities above; was creating the list easy? Has it changed over time? Why are some forms of knowledge more reliable than others? Can a source be reliable in some circumstances but not in others? (You may use these questions to guide your reflection or you may create your own.)
Logic and Reasoning:
The 12 cognitive biases that prevent you from being rational
The human brain is capable of 10 processes per second, which makes it far more powerful than any computer currently in existence. But that doesn't mean our brains don't have major limitations, such as cognitive biases, those annoying glitches in our thinking that cause us to make questionable decisions and reach flawed conclusions.
Before we start, it's important to distinguish between cognitive biases and logical fallacies. A logical fallacy is an error in logical argumentation (e.g. slippery slopes, circular arguments, etc.). A cognitive bias, on the other hand, is a genuine deficiency or limitation in our thinking — a flaw in judgment that arises from errors of memory, social attribution, and miscalculations.
Some social psychologists believe our cognitive biases help us process information more efficiently, especially in dangerous situations. Still, they lead us to make grave mistakes.
Confirmation Bias
We love to agree with people who agree with us. It's why we only visit websites that express our political opinions, and why we mostly hang around people who hold similar views and tastes. We tend to be put off by individuals, groups, and news sources that make us feel uncomfortable or insecure about our views. It's this preferential mode of behavior that leads to the confirmation bias — the often unconscious act of referencing only those perspectives that fuel our pre-existing views, while at the same time ignoring or dismissing opinions — no matter how valid — that threaten our world view.