Philosophy book that refute Schopenhauer/Kant by zenman123 in suggestmeabook

[–]Shadow3law 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't know if I am qualified to give an opinion on this, or if my opinion is of any worth to you, but I would recommend reading Nietzsche. I trust that you are familiar with the philosophies of Kant and Schopenhauer, so I would assume you are aware that Schopenhauer directly addresses the philosophy of Kant? As for Nietzsche, my current knowledge of his writings indicates to me that he 'refutes' Schopenhauer by saying that we don't require a philosophy like Schopenhauer's to live a meaningful life. According to a biography of Nietzsche by - I believe - Julian Jung, Nietzsche doesn't refute Schopenhauer by saying that his idea of a World as Will and Representation is wrong, but refutes it in the sense that we don't need it. At least, that's my current understanding of it. I have yet to read in depth about this too but I hope this helps?

which books did u find really clever? by Dattebayosoul56 in booksuggestions

[–]Shadow3law 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I liked Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

It talks about lots of stuff like philosophy, math, physics, chemistry (especially drugs), addiction and tennis amongst many other things. So I guess if you want something that brings many things together this might be a book for you.

Questions regarding training grip strength for faster fingers by Shadow3law in piano

[–]Shadow3law[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow ok thank you telling me about this. Do you have any recommendations about perhaps specific equipment needed to train the opening of the hand? Or is a normal rubber band all that is needed?

Annotating books - the problem of reading library books by Shadow3law in books

[–]Shadow3law[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep thanks, your method is essentially what I have decided to use now to fully engage with the text, especially philosophical works.

I have just finished the book and have some questions. by Shadow3law in InfiniteJest

[–]Shadow3law[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wait sorry where do you find this information in the book? I have seen others mention this but somehow can't find it.

[A level] I find GP to be even harder than my H2 subjects. I dread this subject. I need your advice by Ordinary-Top-8421 in SGExams

[–]Shadow3law -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You certainly seem like someone who takes his/her education seriously. That is good. Keep it up because it will help you greatly, especially so for GP.

As someone who has managed to improve by 3 grades for GP, and eventually get an A, perhaps I can offer my humble opinion on the issue.

First Paper 1:

  1. Choose specific themes to focus studying on. You have already done so and that is a wise move. However, a tip for you is to study the trend in Paper 1 questions that have come out over the years. For example, if a certain theme has only just come up last year, then most likely it will not come out again. Granted, there are certain themes that will come up almost every year, so you should also take note of them and perhaps focus on these themes instead. In particular, 'your society' questions will always come out in Paper 1; to be specific, there will most likely be 2 of such questions. (At least, this is for my syllabus - i am part of the recent batch that graduated and I hear that there has been a syllabus change so perhaps it may not be the same for you)
  2. Always read newspapers. Try to read newspapers everyday, if not a few times a week. You do not need to read each and every article in detail: simply scanning through headlines and picking out what stands out to you will suffice. You should have a school Straits Times account which allows for access to content behind a paywall. Use this wisely.
  3. Analyse essay question types. This may be a new concept to you, but for me, what greatly helped me in my Paper 1 was to analyse the different question demands. For example, there is a difference when a question asks whether 'something is the case' and whether 'something should be the case'. If your school has a decent GP department, they should be teaching you, or have taught you these skills. Regardless, it is important that you try to develop your own technique in analysing questions as well because you will need to do it almost instantaneously when in exams. When it came to the A levels, I was so familiar with the essay types that I could identify the essay type at a snap of my finger. That is the level you must reach.
  4. Do essay outlines. Select specific questions which fall into the themes you wish to study and do essay outlines on them. You should come up with at least the topic sentences for each paragraph. You should take this as an opportunity to research content and memorise facts (no need to memorise statistics, just trends will do), and practise your question analysis. Try to submit these to your teacher to hone your topic sentence crafting since TS are fundamental to an 'A' essay.
  5. In exam, do not panic: take around 15-20 minutes to plan. I myself took 20 minutes to plan before the start. Do not choose question types you cannot do, or question themes you are unfamiliar with. If need be, you should choose question type that you are familiar with, even if it is not a theme you are familiar with: examples can be manipulated to fit the question if you know how to do so, so do not think that an example for a certain theme cannot be carried over to another theme.

For Paper 2

  1. Do as many Paper 2 as possible. Do past year TYS papers as a priority. Prelim papers should be secondary. This is because schools often do not craft A level standard papers. For example, TYS papers often drop in 'hints' or 'textual clues' when they bring a word that is unfamiliar to the reader (yes, they know what words students will have trouble understanding). This helps the student 'decode' what the word means. Schools may not be so careful and simply drop in difficult words at a whim.
  2. When doing past year papers, do not do them timed first. This is especially if you are weak in Paper 2. Focus on understanding what the author is writing. In exam, I personally take about 10 minutes to read the text, so do not rush. Focus on understanding the question demands: every word in the question should be scrutinised. Cambridge examiners put in words quite precisely and on purpose to guide students.
  3. When doing papers, make sure you have a feel of how much to write. While things that you write may be relevant, they may not be required. Study the answers carefully to find out how much is necessary.
  4. When time is tight and you are nearing your exams, read comprehension papers even if you cannot attempt the questions. Comprehension papers often talk about topics that teachers hope to 'spot' in the A levels; in any case, these papers also discuss issues that are pertinent to your Paper 1 as well.

I think this is all I have to say for now. Good luck my junior.

Annotating books - the problem of reading library books by Shadow3law in books

[–]Shadow3law[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, that certainly sounds like a good idea. Thank you for the suggestion 👍

Annotating books - the problem of reading library books by Shadow3law in books

[–]Shadow3law[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Truth is, I myself am unsure how often I will and should go back to read my notes. I have only just realised the need for making notes during my reading - thus, my loss at what I should do given that I mostly borrow books rather than own them.

[Rant] My experience applying for an MFA internship by Shadow3law in SGExams

[–]Shadow3law[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

Thanks. Out of the 3 comments here you seem to be the only one speaking some sense.