2. Introduction
It is unique to Higher Level (20% of mark)
Examined by a written paper- 1 hour and 15 minutes
The paper consists of one unseen text, students are expected to write a
response to this text (800-1000 words) comparing and contrasting
their experience of philosophical activity with the view(s) of
philosophical activity found in the text.
It is strongly recommended that you spend 10 minutes to read and
reflect on the text carefully before formulating response.
3. Rationale
This element of the course is an opportunity for HL students to engage in
a deeper exploration of the nature, function, meaning and methodology of
philosophy.
This allows them to deepen their understanding of philosophy as an
activity by providing a space in the course for critical examination of
philosophy itself, and its methods.
It is also an opportunity for students to reflect on their own experience of
“doing philosophy”.
4. From the syllabus
This aspect of the course focuses on the fundamental question of
what philosophy is and how we do it.
Discussions of the nature, function, meaning and methodology of
philosophy can be introduced by asking students to reflect on their own
experiences of philosophical activity in other areas of the course. When
studying the core theme, a student could contrast the contribution of
philosophical activity to the debate about the human condition with that of
science or religion. When studying a prescribed text, the student could
consider how a philosopher formulates, poses and writes about
philosophical problems, or responds to the work of other philosophers
when discussing an extract from a philosophical text, the student might
explore why certain philosophers choose to write in dialogue form, prose,
fiction, monologue, poetry, aphorism and so on.
5. Nature
Why might some people define philosophy as a discipline that is centred
on dealing with questions?
Is philosophy more a skill than a body of information?
Why is it that philosophy once included areas of knowledge that are now
distinct (for example, natural philosophy is now physics)?
Why are there so many diverse views on the meaning and methods of
philosophy?
6. Function
What should the goal of philosophy be?
Does philosophical activity involve more than abstract thinking?
What sort of knowledge can philosophy yield?
Should philosophy be regarded as a discipline in its own right, or does philosophy
simply try to analyse the foundations and assumptions of other disciplines?
Do you think that philosophy constitutes the total system of human knowledge?
Is the main purpose of philosophy to enable us to evaluate critically our own
beliefs and attitudes?
7. Meaning
Can philosophical activity inform our understanding of who we are and
our place in the world?
Is philosophy an exchange of ideas?
Does philosophy have a primarily social function?
Does philosophy bring order and/or beauty to our thoughts?
What is the relationship between philosophy and religion? Why do some
thinkers maintain that philosophy is ultimately concerned with the
cognition of God?
8. Methodology
Is conceptual analysis the primary methodology of philosophy?
Why is the production of rational and cogent arguments so central to
philosophy?
Can philosophy be done in isolation?
How important is awareness of past and current responses when
exploring philosophical questions?
How relevant are the findings of other disciplines to philosophical
discussions?
9. Philosophy as an activity
Human beings have a unique facility to reason, it stems from our self
conscious ability to know that we exist. We are not like computers
which simply manipulate information and are not self-aware (this is
obviously debatable).
Philosophy involves thinking in abstract ideas (for example…. not
where I should go this afternoon? but why am I here at all… the
‘ultimate questions’.
This sort of thinking helps us to ask questions that concern our
existence in relation to our place as individuals in an often puzzling
world. First it allows us to work out whether the question is meaningful
(and that we are justified in pursuing an answer), second, it helps us to
work through the problem, obtain a conclusion and decide whether that
conclusion is valid. Whether or not the conclusion is true will depend on
the truth contained in the argument.
10. The origins of Philosophy
Philosophy first started when human beings began to wonder why their
world was like it was. They assumed that the earth was created by God
but when they began to wonder about the nature of God himself (eg who
is he or she? Where is God? Is God completely powerful? Is God good?)
they began to philosophise.
This sort of thinking is called ‘metaphysics’ and is to do with thinking
about what and why things ‘really are’. All philosophy in some way
connects to this central metaphysical theme.
11. What is the best approach to philosophy?
We can approach philosophy by looking at its history (The ancient
Greeks, Descartes) or we can study by topic (philosophy of science,
philosophy of mind). Both have their merits. Whichever we choose, its
important to have an understanding of what philosophers have thought
about and we will be examining key works of the key philosophers.
Philosophy is also about using our imagination to come up with new ideas
and argue in their defence, or to challenge existing ideas by providing
rational arguments against them. It is an activity. To argue effectively we
need to be aware of what it is to reason. There is little (or nothing) to be
gained by proclaiming we have a ‘philosophy’ about this or that without
supporting our ideas by reason or if we have no declared reasons for
holding a view to simply state ‘’that’s what I believe and that’s all there is
to it’’
12. Doing Philosophy- An exercise
For each of the following decide how you wish to respond to the
question then work out:
Why you think this?
What reasons you have for thinking this?
Where these reasons came from?
Why you believe your reasons?
If you would change your view if someone could convince you
otherwise?
13. Doing Philosophy – An exercise
1. Do you believe that war is wrong?
2. Do you believe that criminals should be punished for their crimes or
helped to lead better lives?
3. Do you think computers are intelligent?
4. Do you think that everyone in the world should have the same amount
of money?
5. Do you think homosexuality is natural and acceptable?
14. Argument as a form of philosophical
activity
We argue in different ways: we ‘quarrel’, debate or persuade. In a
philosophical sense argument is used to persuade others of your point
of view. Although quarrels may not have rules, persuasive arguments
do.
An argument consists of a group of statements (premises) some of
which purportedly provide support for one another (the conclusion)
For an argument to be convincing it must use true reasons, blend them
into a logical framework and draw valid conclusions from the reasons
used. Any sound argument must show : how it is justified, what makes
it true and provide reasons why you should believe it.
15. Deductive and Inductive reasoning
1. Deductive argument is a method of ascertaining validity. A properly
constructed deductive argument is valid if all its premises are true-
because the conclusion must then be true.
1. Inductive argument is a method of ascertaining the degree of certainty
the premises confer on the conclusion. A properly constructed
inductive argument has strength in that if all the premises are true
then the conclusion is probably true
16. Logic
Logic is the study of the principles of correct reasoning which is
associated with the formation and analysis of arguments.
A claim is shown to be true or false as a result of evidence, which can
take the form of either direct testimony of your senses, explanations,
the testimony of others, appeal to well-established theories, appeal to
appropriate authority, appeal to definitions and good arguments, among
others.
17. Deduction as a ‘way of doing philosophy’
Aristotle (384-322BC) is credited with inventing deductive
arguments as a means to drawing conclusions. By looking at his
own example we can see the form deductive arguments take:
If the question were asked ‘Is Socrates mortal?’ then the
following deductive argument could be applied.
All men are mortal (1st premise)
Socrates is a man (2nd premise)
Socrates is mortal (conclusion)
The conclusion follows from the premise. A valid deductive
argument will always lead to a valid conclusion but the truth of
the conclusion relies on the truth of the premises.
18. What to include in your response
1. A concise description of philosophical activity as
presented in the text
1. An exploration of the pertinent issues regarding
philosophical activity raised in the text, relating this to
YOUR experiences of doing philosophy throughout the
whole course.
1. Appropriate references to the text that illustrate your
understanding of philosophical activity.
1. Your personal evaluation of the issues regarding
philosophical activity raised in the text.
19. Guiding Questions
• What general impression does the article give you of Philosophy in
general? Or does it give you a specific comment relevant to a topic
within philosophy? Is it positive, negative or neutral?
• What is the extract focusing on in terms of 'doing philosophy'?
• What does the extract highlight in terms of the important aspects of
Philosophy? (And the unimportant aspects of Philosophy?)
• How does the extract relate philosophy to other areas of knowledge?
• Does there exist one method of doing philosophy?
20. Guiding Questions
• Is it fair to say that Philosophy tries to uncover points of agreement and
shared presuppositions between disputing parties? What does this
description of Philosophy miss?
• Does questioning the grounds of all assumptions help you live a better
life?
• What is the difference between a casual, common-sense approach to
important aspects of human existence as opposed to a more
philosophical approach?
• Must we approach all aspects of life in a philosophical manner? Is this
possible? Is this probable? Is this desirable?
• Compare and contrast the idea of philosophy suggested in one piece
with another perspective.
21. How to plan- Step by Step
1. Skim read the whole piece to get an impression of what the author is
saying.
1. Number the paragraphs and then read each one slowly and summarise it
in one sentence. Highlight the issues to do with philosophical activity
(look for things to agree with or disagree with).
2. Identify what the text claims is philosophical activity- there will be more
than one element here. Make a list of the elements which you identify.
3. Ask yourself the question- ‘does the text’s claim tie in with philosophical
activity as I have encountered it’?
4. Decide on the extent to which you agree/disagree with the text’s claims
and how you are going to illustrate this in your response.
5. Plan the knowledge and skills which you are going to use to address the
text’s claims.
22. Writing your answer- step by step
1. Open with a short description of the texts claims regarding the
philosophical activity you have identified within it. This might be one,
possibly two, paragraphs long.
2. You should have identified several issues that the text raises about
philosophical activity. You should then take each issue separately.
Quote the relevant bit from the text, and then look at the issues from
one or two sides. You must refer to your experience of doing
philosophy and cite examples which help justify whether the issue is
treated acceptably in the text. This should take from four to seven
paragraphs.
3. Conclude with a paragraph on how much you agree or disagree with
the text’s claims about philosophical activity.
23. Top Band 21- 25
The response is well structured, focused and effectively organized. There is
appropriate use of philosophical vocabulary throughout the response.
There is clear identification of the view(s) of philosophical activity presented in the
unseen text. Effective references are made to the text.
The student draws explicitly on their personal experience of philosophical activity,
using well-chosen examples or illustrations to support their points.
There is clear analysis of both similarities and differences between the student’s
personal experience of philosophical activity and the view(s) of philosophical
activity presented.
The response contains well-developed critical analysis. All, or nearly all, of the
main points are justified. The response argues to a reasoned conclusion.
