A Level Philosophy, Religious Studies and 2017 Michael Lacewing enquiries@alevelphilosophy.co.uk

Context Revised RS in 2016 introduced compulsory study of religion Revised Philosophy to be introduced in 2017 Revised Pre-U Philosophy and Theology to be introduced in 2017 IB ‘Theory of Knowledge’ Knowing about knowing Ways of knowing (language, perception, emotion, reason, faith, intuition, imagination, memory) Areas of knowledge (maths, natural science, human science, arts, history, ethics, religion, indigenous knowledge) Footer title for Section

AQA A Level Philosophy 2017 Essentially unchanged from 2014 Some bullet points clarified Topics areas swapped AS: Epistemology, Moral Philosophy A Level: Epistemology, Moral Philosophy, Metaphysics of God, Metaphysics of Mind Some set texts changed Even out numbers Introduction of women philosophers Footer title for Section

RS approach to philosophy/ethics To develop an understanding and appreciation of religious thought and its contribution to the individual, communities and society To adopt an enquiring, critical and reflective approach to the study of religion AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of religion and belief, including: religious, philosophical and/or ethical thought and teaching influence of beliefs, teachings and practices on individuals, communities and societies cause and significance of similarities and differences in belief, teaching and practice approaches to the study of religion and belief. AO2: Analyse and evaluate aspects of, and approaches to, religion and belief, including their significance, influence and study Footer title for Section

Philosophy approach To develop [students’] ability to identify argument forms, and analyse and evaluate arguments appropriately through the study of the ways in which philosophers have analysed and evaluated the soundness of arguments by considering the validity of the argument and/or the truth of the premises AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the core concepts and methods of philosophy, including the use of philosophical analysis. I.e. how have philosophers argued? AO2: Analyse and evaluate philosophical argument to form reasoned judgements. I.e. can you construct an argument? Footer title for Section

Philosophy as argument A purely narrative style of writing is likely to do less well in Philosophy than RS Philosophy as argument requires a more precise and logically structured approach to both thinking and writing, with claims, explanations, reasons and objections made very clear Reflected in the exam structure: different skills for each question Quality over quantity Footer title for Section

Philosophy exam questions and skills 3 mark: Explain the difference between the claims ‘God is eternal’ and ‘God is everlasting’. Define or explain an idea or concept: Precision, concision 5 mark (x2): Explain why emotivism is a non-cognitivist theory of ethical language. Explain an idea or brief argument: Precision, concision, clarity, logical order and links Footer title for Section

Philosophy exam questions and skills 12 mark: Compare and contrast Paley’s and Swinburne’s versions of the design argument. Explain a more complex set of arguments or theory: Skills as for 5 marks, but more challenging, as integration is harder 25 mark: How convincing is utilitarianism as an account of what makes an action morally right? Detailed, precise, clear content Argument with ‘intent’ - clear, sustained, coherent and integrated, with a clear conclusion Arguments and counter-arguments are stated in their strongest forms, with crucial arguments being distinguished from less crucial ones; reasoned judgments about the weight of arguments are made on an ongoing basis Footer title for Section

Philosophy as argument What is an argument? A reasoned inference from one set of claims (premises) to another claim (conclusion) How can arguments fail? False or unknown premise The premises fail to support the conclusion What is evaluation? More argument! Evaluate a claim: provide arguments for/against its truth Evaluate an argument: provide arguments for/against its success as an argument Footer title for Section

Anselm’s ontological argument Footer title for Section

Marking Previous unreliability of Philosophy now resolved ‘Difficulty’: Although all A levels should be comparable, there is a range of variation But at least cognate subjects should be comparable But Philosophy is more challenging than Religious Studies AQA has appealed Ofqual on this matter and continues to press for change Context: RS is ‘easier’ than many subjects: about 1/3 along the spectrum Philosophy is not as hard as many subjects: about 2/3 along the spectrum Footer title for Section

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