Download pdf - VCE Philosophy Written examination – sample examination · PHILOSOPHY (SAMPLE) 4 April 2019 SECTION A – Question 3 – continued Question 3 (8 marks) a. To what extent does Hume

S A M P L EPHILOSOPHY

Written examination

Day Date Reading time: *.** to *.** (15 minutes) Writing time: *.** to *.** (2 hours)

QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOK

Structure of bookSection Number of

questionsNumber of questions

to be answeredNumber of

marks

A 5 5 30B 2 2 20C 2 1 20

Total 70

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• StudentsareNOTpermittedtobringintotheexaminationroom:blanksheetsofpaperand/orcorrectionfluid/tape.

• Nocalculatorisallowedinthisexamination.

Materials supplied• Questionandanswerbookof24pages,includingassessment criteria for Section Conpage24• Additionalspaceisavailableattheendofthebookifyouneedextrapapertocompleteananswer.

Instructions• Writeyourstudent numberinthespaceprovidedaboveonthispage.• AllwrittenresponsesmustbeinEnglish.

Students are NOT permitted to bring mobile phones and/or any other unauthorised electronic devices into the examination room.

©VICTORIANCURRICULUMANDASSESSMENTAUTHORITY2019

April2019

SUPERVISOR TO ATTACH PROCESSING LABEL HEREVictorian Certificate of Education Year

STUDENT NUMBER

Letter

PHILOSOPHY(SAMPLE) 2 April2019

SECTION A – continued

Question 1 (5 marks)a. According to Descartes, given that I could be dreaming or being deceived by an evil demon,

how can I know I have a mind? 2 marks

b. Evaluatetheargumentidentifiedinpart a. 3 marks

SECTION A

Instructions for Section AAnswerallquestionsinthespacesprovided.

April2019 3 PHILOSOPHY(SAMPLE)

SECTION A – continuedTURN OVER

Question 2 (2marks)Smartanticipatestheobjectionthat‘anyilliteratepeasant’ cantalkabouttheirsensationswhileknowingnothingaboutneuroscience.Therefore,thethingswetalkaboutwhenwedescribeoursensationscannotbetheprocessesinthebraindescribedbyneuroscience.

OutlineonereplySmartofferstorefutethisobjection.


SECTION A – Question 3–continued

Question 3 (8marks)a. TowhatextentdoesHumeagreewithLockeonthenatureofpersonalidentity? 2marks

b. WhatisHume’sdisagreementwithLockeonthenatureofpersonalidentity? 2marks



c. Whichview–Hume’sorLocke’s–ismoreplausibleandwhy?MakereferencetoMichaels’sargumentinyourresponse. 4marks


SECTION A – continued

Question 4 (7marks)a. IdentifyonepointofagreementbetweenSocratesandAristotleonhowtoachieveagoodlife. 2marks

b. IdentifyonepointofdisagreementbetweenSocratesandAristotleonhowtoachieveagoodlife. 2marks

c. Whichofthecontrastingviewsidentifiedinpart b.–Socrates’sorAristotle’s–ismoreplausibleandwhy? 3marks



CONTINUES OVER PAGE


SECTION A – Question 5–continued

Question 5 (8marks)a. Wolfclaimsthatthepursuitofmeaningfulnessisaresponsetoparticularhumanneeds.

Describeoneoftheseneeds. 2marks

b. Howplausibleistheaccountofhumannaturedescribedinpart a.?Givereasonsforyourresponse. 3marks


END OF SECTION ATURN OVER

c. HowmightNietzscherespondtotheaccountofhumannaturedescribedinpart a.andwhy? 3marks


SECTION B – Question 1–continued

Question 1 (10marks)

Maryisconfinedtoablack-and-whiteroom,iseducatedthroughblack-and-whitebooksandthroughlecturesrelayedonblack-and-whitetelevision.Inthiswayshelearnseverythingthereistoknowaboutthephysicalnatureoftheworld.Sheknowsallthephysicalfactsaboutusandourenvironment,inawidesenseof‘physical’whichincludeseverythingincompletedphysics,chemistry,andneurophysiology,andallthereistoknowaboutthecausalandrelationalfactsconsequentuponallthis,includingofcoursefunctionalroles.Ifphysicalismistrue,sheknowsallthereistoknow.Fortosupposeotherwiseistosupposethatthereismoretoknowthaneveryphysicalfact,andthatisjustwhatphysicalismdenies.… Itseems,however,thatMarydoesnotknowallthereistoknow.Forwhensheisletoutofthe black-and-whiteroomorgivenacolortelevision,shewilllearnwhatitisliketoseesomethingred,say.

Source:FJackson,‘WhatMaryDidn’tKnow’,The Journal of Philosophy,vol.83,no.5,May1986,p.291

IsthereanythingMarydoesnotknowbeforesheleavestheroomorreceivesthecolourtelevision?Developaresponsetothisquestion.Inyourresponse,youshoulddiscuss:• howNagelmightrespondtothisargument• howSmartmightrespondtothisargument• whichview–Nagel’sorSmart’s–youfindmoreplausibleandwhy.

Justifyyourresponse,takingintoaccounttheideaspresentedinthepassage.

SECTION B

Instructions for Section BAnswerallquestionsinthespacesprovided.


SECTION B – continuedTURN OVER


SECTION B – Question 2–continued


In‘TheLostMariner’(1984),OliverSacksdescribesJimmie,amanwithnear-totalmemorylosscausedbyKorsakoff’ssyndrome,abraindisorderassociatedwithheavyalcoholconsumption.Sacksworriesthathispatienthasbecome‘de-souled’,butreconsiderswhenheobserveshowJimmieistransportedwhilesinginghymnsandtakingthesacramentatMass.HerecallstheSovietpsychologistAlexanderLuria’sinsight:‘Amandoesnotconsistofmemoryalone.Hehasfeeling,will,sensibility,moralbeing…Itishere…youmaytouchhim,andseeaprofoundchange.’

Source:NStrohminger,‘TheSelfisMoral’,Aeon,17November2014, <https://aeon.co/essays/moral-character-is-the-foundation-of-a-sense-of-personal-identity>

Inlightofthispassage,whohasthemostplausibleviewofpersonalidentity–LockeorMichaels?Developaresponsetothisquestion.Inyourresponse,youshoulddiscuss:• howthispassagechallengesLocke’sviewsonpersonalidentity• theextenttowhichthispassageagreeswithMichaels’sviewsonpersonalidentity• whichthinker–LockeorMichaels–givesthemoreplausibletheoryofpersonalidentity.

Justifyyourresponse,takingintoaccounttheideaspresentedinthepassage.


END OF SECTION BTURN OVER


SECTION C – continued


Notsolongago,technologywasheldupasthegreatliberator,whichwouldfreeusfromthetyrannyofourdailyworkinglivesanddeliverusthesupremegiftofpersonaltime…Ofcourse,thathasfailedtohappen.Onthecontrary,technologyhassimplyrampedupthepace,enslavingaworkforcebycreatinggreaterdemandsforincreasedproductivityinever-decreasingtimeframes.What’sworse,technologyincreasinglydisconnectsusfromthetaskathand,reducingourconnectionandstrippingthe‘soul’fromourworkingpractice.Weprogressivelyworkinanenvironmentthatextolsthevirtueofimmediacy.Wecommunicateatgreaterspeed,morefrequently,andwithmoreandmorepeople,butoften,withlessdepthandpersonalconnection.

Source:MDonohue,‘ReversingintoTomorrow’,New Philosopher,issue8,May–July2015,p.116

CriticallydiscusshoweitherNietzscheorWolfmightrespondtothisperspectiveontheinterplaybetweentechnologicaldevelopmentandthegoodlife.Inyourresponse,drawonat least oneofthefollowingphilosophicalconcepts:progress,reality,control,dependency,freedom,creativity.Youmayalsodrawonothersources.

OR


Moderntechnologyprovidesuswithmanymeanstocauseourdownfall,andournaturalmoralpsychologydoesnotprovideuswiththemeanstopreventit.Themoralenhancementofhumankindisnecessaryfortheretobeawayoutofthispredicament.Ifwearetoavoidcatastrophebymisguidedemploymentofourpower,weneedtobemorallymotivatedtoahigherdegree…Astrongerfocusonmoraleducationcouldgosomewaytoachievingthis,butasalreadyremarked,thismethodhashadonlymodestsuccessduringthelastcoupleofmillennia.Ourgrowingknowledgeofbiology,especiallygeneticsandneurobiology,coulddeliveradditionalmoralenhancement,suchasdrugsorgeneticmodifications,ordevicestoaugmentmoraleducation.Thedevelopmentandapplicationofsuchtechniquesisrisky–itisafterallhumansintheircurrentmorally-ineptstatewhomustapplythem–butwethinkthatourpresentsituationissodesperatethatthiscourseofactionmustbeinvestigated.Wehaveradicallytransformedoursocialandnaturalenvironmentsbytechnology,whileourmoraldispositionshaveremainedvirtuallyunchanged.Wemustnowconsiderapplyingtechnologytoourownnature,supportingoureffortstocopewiththeexternalenvironmentthatwehavecreated.

Source:JSavulescuandIPersson,‘MoralEnhancement’,inPhilosophy Now,issue91, <https://philosophynow.org/issues/91/Moral_Enhancement>

HowmightAristotlerespondtothisperspectiveontherelationshipbetweentechnologicaldevelopment,moralityandthegoodlife?TowhatextentwouldyouagreewithAristotle’sviews?Inyourresponse,youmayalsodrawonotherphilosophicalconceptsandsources.

SECTION C

Instructions for Section CWriteanessayonone ofthefollowingquestionsinthespaceprovided.Yourresponsewillbeassessedaccordingtotheassessmentcriteriasetoutonpage24.


SECTION C – continuedTURN OVER

Question no.


SECTION C – continued


SECTION C – continuedTURN OVER


END OF SECTION C


TURN OVER

Extra space for responses

Clearly number all responses in this space.



TURN OVER



TURN OVER


Assessment criteria for Section CTheessayinSectionCwillbeassessedagainstthefollowingcriteria:• knowledgeandunderstandingofphilosophicalconcepts,viewpoints,argumentsanddebatesrelevant

tothetopic• criticalevaluationofideasandargumentsrelevanttothetopic• selectionanduseofrelevantmaterialandappropriateexamplestosupporttheresponse• developmentofacoherentandwell-reasonedresponsethataddressesthespecificdemandsofthe

topic• useofclearandpreciselanguageappropriatetophilosophy

END OF QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOK