|
Module |
Module Content |
Assessment and weighting |
| AS |
Reason & Experience Why should I be moral? |
How do we come to know the world? Clearly we experience the world through the senses, but are our senses reliable? Could there be knowledge that is not gained through experience? This module investigates the nature of morality and asks whether or not we have any good reason to behave morally. For example, is morality a social convention, entered into for the sake of mutual advantage or is it a natural disposition derived from sympathy? |
Externally assessed written exam (1.5hrs) 50% AS 25% A Level |
| AS |
The Value of Art Free Will & Determinism |
Imagine living without music, paintings, fiction, films or plays. Most people would agree that they’d be missing out. The philosophical problem is identifying what exactly it is we’re missing, why we value whatever ‘it’ is and the extent to which the value of art compares to other competing goods.
If nature is determined by a fixed set of universal laws, then how can human beings, as part of the physical universe, exercise free-will? Is free-will merely an illusion? If so, what are the implications for morality? |
Externally assessed written exam (1.5hrs) 50% AS 25% A Level |
| A2 |
Philosophy of Mind Moral Theory |
What is the mind and what is its place in nature? We examine theories that have attempted to explain the mind in various ways – either treating it as an entity in its own right (for example, a soul) or by trying to reduce it something else (for example, the brain). Are there any moral truths and if so what is their nature? If there are moral facts, then why is there so much disagreement about morality? If there aren’t any moral facts, then are we ever justified in judging other practices and cultures as abhorrent? In addition, can philosophy help us make good moral decisions, and if so, how? |
Externally assessed written exam (2hrs) 60% A2 30% A Level |
| A2 |
Philosophical Text: Plato’s Republic |
This classic text explores what the good life consists in. The characters in Plato’s dialogue consider the best way to organise a just society so that everyone fulfils their potential, so exploring ideas on the nature of being, truth, knowledge, mind and ethics. |
Externally assessed written exam (1.5hrs) 40% A2 20% A Level |
College Prospectus 2010
