1. Introduction to the Religion, Philosophy & Ethics A Level

2. A Linear Course 3 x 2 hour written exams 33
A Linear Course 3 x 2 hour written exams 33.33% each Religion Philosophy Ethics 80 marks 3 sections

3. BUT your first year will be like an AS Level

4. End of Year 12 3 x 1 hour written exams 33
End of Year 12 3 x 1 hour written exams 33.33% each Religion Philosophy Ethics 54 marks 2 sections

6. What is it all about? I think philosophy is about….

7. It’s mostly all Greek Philosophia = love of human wisdom

10. Come up with a brief argument for the following: Are we conscious or unconscious? Is this reality the only reality? Are we lesser beings? Does that chair exist when we are not looking at it? Would green be green if we didn’t call it green?

11. Why should I study Philosophy?
READING:
Skim read ‘The value of Philosophy’ article by Bertrand Russell.
What kind of questions does philosophy consider?
Why, according to Russell, is philosophy valuable?

12. Types of Proof listen to Phoebe give her arguments to prove there is no evolution.

13. How are the arguments presented. What was weak and strong about them
How are the arguments presented? What was weak and strong about them? A good argument contains….

14. You should carefully study the art of reasoning, as it is what most people are very deficient in and I know few things more disagreeable than to argue or even converse with a man who has no idea of inductive and deductive philosophy” William J Wills (explorer)

15. Consider the following conversation: “Fahim, you need to to tidy your room” “But why?” “Because I said so!” Only a parent can get away with answering like this. But even parents sometimes have trouble using this approach to make a convincing argument. It is important to provide reasons to support an argument you make.

16. Proofs “An argument which starts from one or more premises, which are propositions taken for granted for the purpose of the argument, and argues to a conclusion.” Swinburne

17. Come up with 3 of your own tautologies and 1 mathematical proof.
PREMISE + PREMISE = CONCLUSION P+P=C Sometimes there is only one premise P=C
A proof is a statement that cannot be false:
4+4=8.
This is a logically necessary mathematical statement because it cannot be disputed and to suggest an alternative answer would seem stupid.
A tautology is when the definition of a word makes the conclusion undeniable.
“a circle is round”
“the Queen of England is female”
Come up with 3 of your own tautologies and 1 mathematical proof.

18. Is “sings well” and “men” a tautology?
Some proofs only lead to conclusions that are possible or probable. Evidence points to a conclusion but there could be more than one outcome
P1: The sun is shining today
P2: The sun shone yesterday
C: The sun will shine tomorrow
P1: Yahia sings well
P2: Yahia is a man
C: All men sing well
Is “sings well” and “men” a tautology?
Why or why not?

19. Non-argument: Argument: P1: Get us some milk, please
P1: All humans are mortal P2: G.W. Bush is a human P3: Therefore, G.W. Bush is mortal
P1: Get us some milk, please
P2: Is anyone home?
P3: Therefore, G.W. Bush is mortal

20. What makes a good argument?
Good arguments are ones that offer good support for the conclusion. There are two key features of a good argument:
Good Premises: every premise of the argument is true (or at least plausible or likely to be true).
Good Form: the premises, if true, render the conclusion true or probable.
Philosophers call arguments that have these two features logically sound (“sound” for short). If an argument fails to have either one of these features, it isn’t a good argument; it doesn’t give us any reason to believe the conclusion.
Good form has to do with the logical form of the argument, not whether the premises are in fact true or false.

21. Good and bad arguments:
P1: All women are Republican P2: Hilary Clinton is a woman P3: Therefore, Hilary Clinton is a Republican
Good form, bad premises (some are false)
Good form, good premises
P1: If Donald trump won the presidential election, then a republican is currently president of the US
P2: Trump won the presidential election
P3: Therefore, a Republican is currently president
P1: Some men are Democrats
P2: G.W. Bush is a man
P3: Therefore, G.W. Bush is a Republican
Bad form, good premises (they are true)

22. Good forms of arguments:
Modus Ponens:
P1: If P, then Q
P2: P
P3: So, Q
Modus Tollens: P1: If P, then Q P2: Not-Q P3: So, not P
P1: If [Mohamed went to Disneyland], then [he will have brought a souvenir back].
P2: [Mohamed went to Disneyland].
P3: So, [Mohamed brought back a souvenir].
P1: If [Mohamed went to Disneyland], then [he will have brought a souvenir back].
P2: [Mohamed didn’t bring back a souvenir].
P3: So, [Mohamed didn’t go to the Disneyland].

23. Inductive a posteriori (synthetic) arguments.
Inductive reasoning starts from observation and leads to a conclusion.

24. P1: The sun shines in July P2: The sun is shining C: It is July
This conclusion is not logically necessary. Why?
P1: Mr Brown had the opportunity to murder Mr Green
P2: Mr Brown had the motive to murder Mr Green
C: Mr Brown murdered Mr Green
How can we be sure Mr Brown murdered Mr Green?
Construct your own inductive proof.

25. Deductive a priori (analytic) arguments.
Deductive reasoning does the opposite of inductive. We start with the conclusion and see if the evidence is valid. You must ask these questions when using deductive reasoning:
What is the conclusion?
What evidence supports it?
Is that evidence logical?
If you can answer yes to question 3 then the conclusion is logical and sound.

26. Deductive a priori (analytic) arguments.
Inductive: Evidence > Conclusion (IEC)
Deductive: Conclusion > Evidence (DCE)

27. Construct your own deductive proof.
P1: Brittany is a spinster P2: A spinster is an unmarried female C: Brittany is an unmarried female
This conclusion is logically necessary. Why?
P1: All female monarchs are Queens
P2: Elizabeth is a female monarch
C: Elizabeth is a Queen
What would happen if you used bachelor or King instead?
Construct your own deductive proof.

28. In pairs, decide which arguments are inductive and which are deductive.

29. Types of knowledge
How do you ‘know’ the following things (if you know them):
All swans are white
All spinsters are unmarried women
If George V reigned at least four days, then he reigned more than three days
10x10= 100
George V reigned from to 1936
The grass is green
Triangles have three sides

30. A priori knowledge
A priori knowledge is what we know without any experience of the world
Some argue that maths is a priori. Deductive arguments are definitely a priori.
Some philosophers go as far as to say that God’s existence can be known a priori (i.e. you need never ‘experience’ God to know that he exists)

31. A posteriori knowledge
A posteriori knowledge is what we know only be experiencing the world
That snow is white, is something we can only know by experiencing snow and therefore is a posteriori knowledge. That Australia is a hot country is also a posteriori
Some philosophers will argue that a posteriori knowledge is the only useful knowledge.

32. What is the difference?
Write a paragraph in your books explaining the difference between a priori and posteriori knowledge. Make sure you use examples to illustrate the difference.

33. Inductive v Deductive Proofs
Look at the strengths and weaknesses statements. They relate to either inductive or deductive proof.
Match them up.

34. The Teleological Argument
Thomas Aquinas
Fifth Way
The Teleological Argument
Paley
Watch analogy
Eye analogy
Design Qua Regularity
Design Qua Purpose
Swinburne
Regularities of co-presence
Regularities of succession