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Philosophy
Board: AQA
Specification: AS 5171 and A2 6171
Introduction
Philosophy is becoming a very popular subject at A Level. It has been said that there are six things to consider when deciding whether to study it:
1) Independent thought: doing Philosophy is an excellent training in thinking for yourself
2) Subject matter: the questions that Philosophy investigates are the most profound that we can ask. It investigates the deepest aspects of what it means to be human
3) Controversy: if there are any answers to philosophical questions they are not obvious! Philosophy asks you to avoid being too quick to jump to conclusions.
4) Character: because it encourages open-mindedness, doing Philosophy can actually change your character. It can help you mature in your thinking.
5) Reasoning: it is difficult to understand the arguments and ideas in Philosophy. As with doing anything that is difficult, you develop new skills that make it easier with practice.
6) Self-understanding: taking all these ideas together - being able to reason and think independently, and thinking about deep questions, can help you to understand yourself better.
Course structure
AS
|
Unit (code) |
Method |
Time |
Contribution |
|
|
AS |
Advanced |
|||
|
1 (PLY1) |
Written exam |
1 hour |
33% |
16.67% |
|
2 (PLY2) |
Written exam |
1 hour |
33% |
16.67% |
|
1 (PLY3) |
Written exam |
1 hour |
33% |
16.67% |
Unit 1 - Theory and Knowledge
Empiricism and rationalism; knowledge and justification; knowledge and scepticism; and knowledge of the external world
Unit 2 - Moral Philosophy
Normative ethics; practical ethics; and meta-ethics: cognitivism and non-cognitivism)
or
Philosophy of Religion
The meaning and justification of religious concepts; arguments for the existence of God; faith, reason and belief; and the implications of God's existence)
Unit 3 - Text analysis
Choice of one text from Plato, The Republic; Descartes, Meditations; Marx and Engels, The German Ideology; or Sartre, Existentialism and Humanism
A2
|
Unit (code) |
Method |
Time |
Contribution |
|
|
AS |
Advanced |
|||
|
4 (PLY4) |
Written exam |
1 hour |
-- |
15% |
|
5 (PLY5) |
Written exam |
1 hour |
-- |
15% |
|
6 (PLY6) |
Class essay of 3-4000 words, under exam conditions |
up to 4 hrs |
-- |
20% |
Unit 4 - Philosophy of the Mind
Approaches to mentality and the nature of mind; the mind body problem; knowledge of self and self-consciousness; knowledge of others; and persons
or Political Philosophy
Political ideologies; freedom; law; authority; and the state
or Philosophy of Science
Scientific method, the nature of scientific development, scientific knowledge and the aims of science; the objectivity of science; and the natural and social science
Unit 5 - Text analysis
One text from Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics; Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding; Mill, On Liberty; Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil; Russell; The Problems of Philosophy; or Ayer, Language, Truth and Logic.
Unit 6- Synoptic
Extended essay, either: Comparative Study, comparing two contrasting philosophers on the same theme; or Complementary Study, assessing the contribution of one author to one of the set themes. Choice of 6 titles.
Where it leads
Can lead on to any number of social science and humanities degrees at university, although it is a useful tool for training your own thinking, and is therefore useful for any degree.
Career-wise, Philosophy will be beneficial to careers in politics, advertising, research, media to name a few.
Subject complements
Philosophy has no general subject combinations, such as Chemistry would have with Physics, although it will be useful as a combination with most.
Philosophical Society
Bales Philosophical Society has regular lunch-time meeting throughout term, with any members of the school (all years) welcome. We have a policy of open debate, where all contributions are taken equally, from year 7 students right through to teachers and the Principal! For those not wishing to study Philosophy over 1 or 2 years, it is a useful way to develop or maintain an interest in the subject.
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