Philosophy

The AQA A Level Philosophy course will appeal to students who are interested in exploring the ‘big questions’ of philosophy and the answers given to them by key figures in the Western intellectual tradition. The course gives students a thorough grounding in the concepts and methods of philosophy. By engaging with and discussing philosophical texts and theories, students learn how to critically analyse arguments, whilst developing the clarity and sophistication of their own thinking and the ability to construct and defend their own lines of argument.  

AQA 7172

Course Content

The course is structured around four main themes:

Epistemology - this strand of the course explores what is meant by the word ‘knowledge’, what conditions need to be met for something to count as knowledge and the extent to which we can be said to know anything at all.

Moral Philosophy - this part of the course looks at the answers given by Aristotle, Kant and Bentham to the question of what makes an action right or wrong. It considers applied ethical issues, such as stealing, simulated killing and eating animals, as well as more fundamental questions about the nature and meaning of ethical language. 

Metaphysics of God - this theme deals with questions that arise from considering the nature of God and religious language, as well as looking closely at the traditional arguments for and against the existence of God. 

Philosophy of Mind - this theme is concerned with questions about the nature of the mind, including whether it is better understood as a physical or non-physical entity, and how the mind relates to the body. 

Assessment

The course is assessed at the end of Year 13 with two 3 hour exams.

Paper 1: Epistemology and Moral Philosophy 

Paper 2: Metaphysics of God and Metaphysics of Mind

There is no coursework.