A small subject with a large effect
Philosophy and logic is taught four lessons a week — fewer than the others, which get five — yet it is one of the six subjects that count toward the first-year total.
The term-one syllabus
Two parallel halves:
Philosophy
- Unit one: human thinking — what thinking means, applied examples, why it matters
- Unit two: modes of human thinking
Logic
- Unit one: principles of logic — what logic is, its everyday applications, its importance
- Unit two: the causes of errors in thinking
The exam
The paper is marked out of 15 and doubled (×2) when counted; ninety minutes plus 15 minutes to read and check the paper. Like the other first-year subjects, most of it is multiple choice. First-year exam shape
Why students underestimate it and lose marks
It is a concepts subject, and concepts look easy while reading and turn hard when you must tell them apart in an exam. The difference between "thinking" and "a mode of thinking", or between a logical fallacy and a different opinion — that is exactly what multiple choice asks.
How to study it
- An example for every definition. A definition without one is forgotten.
- Hunt for thinking errors in real life: an advert, a post, an argument.
- Write the difference between each pair of similar concepts in two lines. That is your revision note.
- Short essays: definition, example, conclusion.
What it is good for later
Logic underlies problem solving in maths, argument in history, and analysis on the Arts & Humanities track, whose third-year subjects are advanced geography and statistics. The Arts track
On GoBachaloria
Philosophy and logic with teachers to choose between, and the first 5 videos free.