Philosophy & Ethics

Head of Faculty: Mrs A Howe

Why study the course?

Philosophy and Ethics offers you an interesting, well respected, increasingly popular and intellectually challenging A Level. It helps develop an understanding of spiritual, moral, ethical, social and cultural issues. Philosophy and Ethics provides a space in the hectic world for reflection on some of the bigger philosophical questions that face our world in the twenty-first century and explore different approaches to dealing with them. Philosophy and Ethics develops a variety of skills, including those of discussion and debate. The valuable skills of logical argument and critical evaluation are also developed and can be transferred to other areas of study.

Aims of the Course

Philosophy and Ethics is designed to allow time to develop your own ideas whilst exploring a range of views from other scholars and is a useful stepping stone to many careers where it helps to understand what people believe and how it affects their lives. For example, medicine, social work, law, the armed services, police force, journalism, teaching and many more.

The Course is divided into 3 parts:

In Philosophy of Religion learners will study:

• Ancient philosophical influences • the nature of the soul, mind and body • arguments about the existence or non-existence of God • the nature and impact of religious experience • the challenge for religious belief of the problem of evil • ideas about the nature of God • issues in religious language.

In Religion & Ethics learners will study:

• Normative ethical theories • the application of ethical theory to two contemporary issues of importance e.g. euthanasia, abortion etc • ethical language and thought • debates surrounding the significant idea of conscience • sexual ethics and the influence on ethical thought of developments in religious beliefs.

In Developments in Religious Thought (Christianity) learners will study:

• Religious beliefs, values and teachings, their interconnections and how they vary historically and in the contemporary world

• sources of religious wisdom and authority

• practices which shape and express religious identity, and how these vary within a tradition

• significant social and historical developments in theology and religious thought

• key themes related to the relationship between religion and society

- Philosophy of Religion - 120 marks, 2 hour written paper - 33.3% of total A Level

- Religion and Ethics - 120 marks, 2 hour written paper - 33.3% of total A Level

- Developments in Religious Thought in Christianity- 120 marks, 2 hour written paper – 33.3% of total A Level