1 / 10

Philosophy AS/A Level

Philosophy AS/A Level. Philosophy: The art of asking awkward questions. Are you the same person you were when you were 2 years old? Are criminals from deprived backgrounds really responsible for their actions? Should we tolerate terrorist talk when it’s just theoretical?

kacy
Download Presentation

Philosophy AS/A Level

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Philosophy AS/A Level

  2. Philosophy: The art of asking awkward questions • Are you the same person you were when you were 2 years old? • Are criminals from deprived backgrounds really responsible for their actions? • Should we tolerate terrorist talk when it’s just theoretical? • Could we possibly be mistaken in believing that 2+2=4? • What would an ideal government be like?

  3. What is philosophy? • In philosophy we consider awkward questions that are normally ignored or taken for granted • Every area of thought is under scrutiny: e.g. knowledge, reasoning, science, art, ethics, politics • There are no final answers, but many theories argued over by philosophers • In philosophy we discuss the arguments of philosophers, and students draw their own conclusions using critical thinking

  4. The AS Philosophy course • 4 topics in philosophy are studied: • Freewill and determinism • Tolerance • Persons • Reason and Experience • These topics may be changed from 2013, with the introduction of new web-based resources • Assessment is by 2 exam papers A question from the ‘persons’ topic – are animals persons?

  5. The A2 Philosophy course • Two wider areas of philosophy studied for one exam paper • Moral philosophy : How do we know what is right? How should we make moral decisions? • Political philosophy: What’s so good about freedom? What do we mean by justice? • Study of a philosophical text for another exam paper : Plato’s Republic • What would the ideal state be like? • Can we know the truth using reason alone?

  6. What sort of student enjoys philosophy? • Needs to be intrigued by awkward questions • Probably fond of arguing with people • Needs some imagination (e.g. may like science fiction scenarios) • Needs to be able to communicate clearly, especially in writing (English language GCSE grade B+ may show this) • Philosophy is not an easy option: philosophical argument requires care and effort

  7. What use is philosophy? • Philosophy develops abstract reasoning skills applicable in many situations • Philosophy A Level shows university admissions that students can handle abstract theory: vital for many degree courses • Some more direct uses of philosophy: teaching (especially RE and Critical Thinking), journalism, politics, medical ethics A 9 week-old embryo: a person?

  8. What other subjects go well with philosophy? • Almost every other subject has a philosophical dimension, e.g: • Philosophy of science: how true are scientific claims? • Aesthetics/ Philosophy of art: What is beauty? What makes good art? • Philosophy goes well with arts, sciences, humanities and social sciences at A Level: almost anything, in fact! • Critical Thinking develops skills used in philosophy (like maths developing skills used in physics) • Religious Studies(or “Philosophy and Ethics”) sometimes covers some philosophical questions, but in relation to religion: it can be combined with Philosophy.

  9. Why offer philosophy by distance learning? • A discussion-based subject suitable for video-conference tuition • Allows a subject of great interest to a minority temperament to be offered • Attracts students with philosophical interests who don’t want to study religion, decoupling philosophy from RS • Relates to or supports nearly every other subject • A challenging A Level useful for university admission • Specialist tutors with substantial experience of teaching the subject at A level

  10. Further queries about philosophy with MBLS? • For specific subject-related queries contact Robert Ellis, philosophy tutor • Email: roberte@mblearningsolutions.co.uk • Telephone: 01684 574844 • For more general queries contact the MBLS office

More Related