Why Study Philosophy?

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Philosophy, more than anything else, is a style of asking questions that probe into the nature of reality or truth. The word comes from the Greek meaning ‘a love of wisdom’ and the subject applies its own technique of reasoning to try to answer the questions that are raised when the nature of existence and truth become the subject matter. Philosophy develops skills that are useful and transferable; all disciplines and professions can benefit from the systematic thought processes and clarity of expression that Philosophy develops.

What will I study?

AS Units

All modules are exam-based, each exam being an hour long. Each is worth 16.6% of the total A Level marks.

Module 1: The theory of knowledge:

• Empiricism and Rationalism
• Knowledge and Justification
• Knowledge and Scepticism
• Knowledge and the External World

Module 2: Either:

• Moral Philosophy or
• Philosophy of Religion

Module 3: A critical awareness of the content, structure and use of argument in one text chosen from the work of the following philosophers: Plato (The Republic); Descartes (Meditation); Marx and Engels (The German Ideology); Sartre (Existentialism and Humanism)

A2 Units

Module 4*: Either:
Philosophy of Mind OR Political Philosophy OR Philosophy of Science

Module 5*: A critical awareness of the content, structure and use of argument in one text chosen from the work of the following philosophers:

Aristotle ( Nicomachean Ethics); Hume (An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding); Mill (On Liberty); Nietzsche ( Beyond Good and Evil); Russell (The Problems of Philosophy); Ayer (Language, Truth and Logic)

*Both exam-based, each exam being an hour long, and are both worth 15% of the total A Level marks.

Module 6: Takes the form of an extended essay based on student research and written under supervised conditions. It is worth 20% of the total A Level marks.

How will I study?

A mixture of group and class discussions, critical reading, and written exploration. Recommended pre-course reading: Stephen Law: The Philosophy Files; Christopher Hamilton: Understanding Philosophy (AS Level); Nigel Warburton: Philosophy: The Basics

What do I need to start the course?

Grade B or above in GCSE English is strongly recommended.