1. A Level Philosophy, Religious Studies and 2017
Michael Lacewing

2. 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)
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3. 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
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4. 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
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5. 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?
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6. 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
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7. 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
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8. 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
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9. 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
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10. Anselm’s ontological argument
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11. 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
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