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Michael Gumbrell

philosophy is hell

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following on form my previous blog post about studying philosophy being akin to Dante's seven circles of Hell,

i did start to make a few, what i thought were funny flash cards about that concept.

Here are the first three, i am not sure how funny they are, or relevant, but i made them anyway,


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Michael Gumbrell

Tma 2 mark.

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So i just got my mark back. I got 63 for tma 2. I got 68 for tma 1. So i am averaging 65 ocas at the moment.

65 is a 2.2 which is my lowest module score so far.

But that's okay. I do not like philosophy and nor would it appear that philosophy approves of me... 

#bloodya222

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Michael Gumbrell

#bloody a222

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Still grinding my way through block 3.

This module is very tedious.

I cannot wait to be out the other side of it.

Roll on june...

#bloody a222

Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Thursday, 14 Dec 2017, 06:51)
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Michael Gumbrell

Block 3 and the christmas break

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Having had a look at the block 3 tma question, i am going to have to work through the christmas break.

The tma question is very long. More like a four part question.

That is a big question to answer so it will require alot of work...hence no christmas break for me.

I got 68 for my first tms, i am waiting for the mark for tma2.

I think it will not be as good as 68.

So i need to put the work into tma3 to try and keep my ocas in the 2.2 range for this module.

A222 has 6 tma's and no substitutions, so a good ocas will be hard to achieve.

Lets hope that it does not go from 68 and then downwards.

#bloodya222.

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Michael Gumbrell

Getting closer...

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9909 views! 

Getting closer to five figures.

There might be a prize for whoever makes the 10,000 view.

However the prize could be a 50% completed a222 module!

Who would want that!

Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Tuesday, 5 Dec 2017, 17:02)
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Michael Gumbrell

Double down.

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Having just worked my way through 75% of chapter 1, block 3, it is abit disheartning to find out the reading volume will double in this block..

Come on a222, ours is a difficult relationship already, without you gaslighting about the reading.

#bloodyA222

Can you start a #hashtag on a ou blog?


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Michael Gumbrell

Block 3

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So i have started block 3 'ethics'.

Not including the exam, get block 3 done and thats 50% of the course complete.

Half way through, i am looking forward to getting half way there.

50% of A222 out of the wsy  

Yes please.

Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Tuesday, 5 Dec 2017, 12:36)
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Michael Gumbrell

Tma 2

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So i finished and submitted tma 2 last night.

1750 words.

Now to wait for the closing date- thursdsy 7th and then for it to be marked.

Still not enjoying a222

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Michael Gumbrell

Tma 2

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I am supposed to be discussing humes ( philo's) objections to the arguement from design, as presented by cleanthes.

Is hume (philo's) objection compelling.

Philo leaves his objections aside until subconclusion 1 of cleanthes arguement.

I think philo could have raised objections earlier on, objections to premise one and two, but philo does not.

Now can i include in the tma analysis of philo's objections the fact that he did not step in earlier to object, based on philosophical reasoning...

Or can i only write about the quality of philo's actual stated arguements?

By not stepping in earlier, philo allows cleantges to develope another premise, sub conclusion and conclusion that are based on unchallenged premise one and two.

I am very mindful now if Simon Reeds advice in comments on another of my posts.

' we are not here in a222 to do any of our own philosophy, just to show we can construct a philosophical arguement correctly, and stick to the module materials'

Without wise words from Simon, i might have wasted 800 words of tma2 and got a poor mark.

I will mention my thoughts about philo letting premise one and two too easily, very briefly, as a further example of what might have made philo's objections truely compelling. However 1000 words need to be invested on what philo does say...


Permalink 1 comment (latest comment by Simon Reed, Sunday, 3 Dec 2017, 16:57)
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Michael Gumbrell

block 2 almost done

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That's all the reading for block 2 'the philosophy of religion done' 

now I have to turn the 500 words already written for tma 2 into 2000 words by 7th of December and that block is behind me, and 33% of a222 will be behind me and I will be closer to getting what I have come to know a ' bloody A222' done.

oh and the three hour exam, don't forget the exam....


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Michael Gumbrell

What would google say?

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Edited by Michael Gumbrell, Sunday, 26 Nov 2017, 13:39

I was just chatting with my fellow a222 students in our facebook group.

The upshot was, if you type 'bloody a222' into google,

This blog comes out three times in the top five results.

Just saying.... bloody a222....

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Michael Gumbrell

TMA2

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I had another check through the guidance notes for tma2.

It is very clear. The tma is utterly about chapter 2. Nothing from the other chapters need to be in there.

So a very closed tma question.

Perhaps it is to make us reallt drill down onto how we write a philosophicaly logical essays.

We will see, i sure i will be on this blog bemoaning tma2 some more.

Permalink 3 comments (latest comment by Michael Gumbrell, Monday, 20 Nov 2017, 17:16)
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Michael Gumbrell

TMA 2

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So this block 2 is slightly odd, there are 4 weeks of study around the philosophy of religion. However the TMA question is very specific, it is concretely locked into weeks 2's study. So I have finished week 3 and have week 4 to do, however I have done the week that is very specifically linked to the TMA, nothing from week 3 or 4 will get into it. 

so I made a start on writing the TMA today, I have done the introduction and the unpack. so I have written the first 400 words of the 2000 word TMA with 2 weeks to spare.

That is a bit of an odd structure, previously TMA's had a focus on a particular week, however following weeks would influence what you wrote in the TMA.

With block 2 TMA that is not the case, Chapter two is king and it would harm the TMA to mention anything from week 3 or 4. Very odd. I have never had that situation before.


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Michael Gumbrell

struggling with Philosophy

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I have to admit, I am struggling with A222, Philosophy.

There sheer volume of reading, the fact that the essay's have to be written in a completely different way to other essay's,  the fact that there is a sixth essay in the OCAS, unlike every other module which has five, the prehistoric age of the website and module planer, just the whole thing really.

If I had only known, I could have done politics and economics without the philosophy.

It is very hard to motivate yourself to push through on a subject when it is really not doing anything for you.

I have come to the conclusion I just need to crack on, get whatever score I can ( it surely will be lower than my other modules) and just get through it, a pass is a pass and then I can move on to modules I will enjoy more.

When it comes to level 3 of my P.P.E pathway, I get to drop a subject and focuses on two of the three, I think it is fair to say I will going for the politics and economics elements in level 3.

When I finally get to the end of my degree pathway I can always ask if my classification can be changed to P. NLOP. E,

Politics,

No Love Of Philosophy

Economics.

Seems like a reasonable request to me...


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Michael Gumbrell

from design and Hume

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I had a stab at a flashcard which is a reminder of Hume's problems with concept of 'from design'


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Michael Gumbrell

block 2

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Now we have the crux of block 2, the philosophy of Religion.

looking at the arguments around the concept of 'from design' and the existence of a God.

So the 3 week away TMA question is if Hume's objections to the 'From Design' argument are compelling. Hume has popped up in week 2, so the TMA material has appeared early on in the block. 

The reading for Hume is long, intense and challenging. But has to be done correctly as it will form the core of the TMA material.

So lets get that done then...

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Michael Gumbrell

Informal study group.

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Edited by Michael Gumbrell, Sunday, 12 Nov 2017, 12:16

This year looks like it is going to be hard.

For the last couple of years i have been in an informal study group with two of my PPE cohorts, Simon and Stephen.

I just wanted to thank both of them for being there for support. 

Together we might all get through this a222 module.

So thank you Simon and Stephen. Your advice, support, perspective and ability to find external materials that help rationlise the module materials is very mch appreciated.

Me, i just make the revision flash cards for us to use.


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Michael Gumbrell

Feedback

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So i had a look at my feedback. There was alot of it!

Not entirely sure now if the 68 mark was just a kindness because it was the first essay of the module.

68 might be the peak for this module, unless i really get a grip on philosophy tma's.

We will see.

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Michael Gumbrell

tma 1

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So i got my mark back for a222 tma1.

68% thats my second lowest mark in four modules of essays.

Not that disappointed. Seems like a fair mark considering how much i struggled with the essay.

I will look at my feedback tomorrow.

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Michael Gumbrell

book one flashcard

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I thought I might do the flash cards as I go along this year:

Here's book 1 A222, personal identity


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Michael Gumbrell

a222 block 2

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so now it is time to move onto A222 block 2.

The philosophy of religion.

This is going to be a complex one.

I am not a man of faith, lets see how much this block challenges my position.

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Michael Gumbrell

TMA Done

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Edited by Michael Gumbrell, Wednesday, 1 Nov 2017, 12:28

Well my first TMA is done and submitted.

1944 words out of a possible 2000 word count, so I am happy that I have fallen in the word count range (1500-2000). I am towards the high end of the word count, so perhaps I waffled a bit?

Well its done now, It was very hard.

Now to wait and see what the mark is, I am expecting nothing over 65%, from my tutorial I do not think we get any lee way with it being the first TMA, we seem to be expected to hit the ground running, no warm up.

Lets wait and see...

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Michael Gumbrell

TMA

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Well i have witten the first half of the TMA.

1000 words so far.

I have no idea if the words are any good.

This module has been very frustrating so far.

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Michael Gumbrell

Tele transporter

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This tma is hard, and it is only the first one!

It is no solace to find out that so many of my cohorts (facebook group) are also struggling with it.

Welcome to a222 philosophy!

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Michael Gumbrell

tma1

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Well all the reading and activities are done,

all I have to do now, and have 4 days in which to do it, is write the TMA....

Pity I do not have a single clue what I am going to write....

HELP....

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