Religious Education - Philosophy and Ethics
What is Philosophy?Literally 'the love of wisdom'.
Philosophy is the study of ideas
- What is reality?
- What can we know about our world and how can we know it?
- Is there a God and does it matter?
What is Ethics?
A branch of philosophy that concentrates on morality.
- What is good or evil? Right or wrong?
- Is what is right for me right for you?
- Who decides and how?
First and foremost you should take this subject if you are interested in discussion on the 'Meaning of Life'. If you enjoy a subject you are likely to do well in it!
A qualification in Philosophy and Ethics would be welcomed by universities and employers as it shows you can construct an argument and defend a point of view. It implies skills in discussion and logical thought.
The Ethics may give you a distinct advantage if you are interested in certain careers e.g.:
- Law
- Police
- Military
- Medicine
- Journalism
- Business
AS Level
There are three modules at AS. All are taken in the summer term of year 12. All are out of 100 and are worth 33.3% of the AS level or 16.7% of the full A level.
- Foundation module. This introduces you to the basics of Philosophy and Ethics. You will look at Plato and Aristotle and the Biblical ideas of God. You will be introduced to some ethical theories such as Situation Ethics, Natural Law and Virtue Theory.
- Philosophy 1 This is an exploration of the main arguments for and against the existence of God.
- Ethics 1 You will look at the Ethical theories of Act and Rule Utilitarianism and the theories of Immanuel Kant and think about how these apply to practical medical situations
Again there are three modules for the A2 part of the course, one each on philosophy and ethics and a 'Synoptic' paper. All modules are taken in the summer term of year 13 although there is the option to take either the philosophy or the ethics module as a piece of coursework in the January of year 13. This can be re-sat as a written exam in the summer if desired. The modules build on those in AS (In other words you will be expected to be able to use AS material as well as A2 when answering A2 questions.). The Philosophy and Ethics units are each out of 90 and worth 15% of the qualification. The Synoptic unit is out of 120 and is worth 20%.
- Philosophy 2 Here you will look at the issues of Life after Death, the use and limitations of Religious Language, and the issue of miracles.
- Ethics 2 This module looks at Freewill and Determinism, various theories about the role of the conscience, as well as a further chance to apply what you have learnt to practical situations, this time sexual and environmental ethics and issues to do with war and peace.
- Synoptic This literally means 'seen together'. There is nothing new to learn for this module, but you will be tested on your ability to make connections. You will be expected to answer questions which link aspects of philosophy to areas of ethics you have studied. Although the course is split into different modules it is of course, all connected. This module takes this fact into account.