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This brief
introduction aims to give a general account of what philosophy is in order
to provide a sense of what the A level course offers, and why.
Philosophy is an ancient
Greek word meaning “love of wisdom”. Philosophers, then, are
people who love wisdom. However, proverbially, wisdom is a mountain to
be climbed rather than a flower to be plucked. If you want to be a philosopher
you have to commit yourself to the climb. Fortunately, the climb is exhilarating.
Even defining wisdom
is not straightforward. Philosophers have found it necessary to ask: “How
can we know whether a definition is correct or not?” This is turn
leads to the question:
“How do we know whether we can know anything?” This is perhaps
the fundamental question which lies at the heart of all other philosophical
questions.
We now turn to the
core questions which this course considers.
AS
Unit 1 Topic 1: Persons
What kind of being can know things? Only humans? Animals? Some machines?
If animals know things, are they people? Can machines be conscious? How
do I know whether I am the same person I used to be? For example, can
I rely absolutely on my memory?
AS
Unit 1 Topic 2: Reason and Experience
Does all our knowledge come from experience? Alternatively, does some
or all of our knowledge come from within us, whether through instinct,
reason or something else?
AS
Unit 2 Topic 1: Knowledge of the External World
Can we know whether what we perceive has any relation with reality?
Do we perceive the world at all, or do we only perceive our own ideas?
AS
Unit 2 Topic 2: Free Will and Determinism
Can we know whether any of the choices we make could have been different?
Can we know whether all human actions can be explained using the laws
of cause and effect? What does it mean to say that we are responsible
for our actions?
A2 Unit 3 Topic 1: Epistemology and Metaphysics
What if we don’t know anything? How should we reply if someone says
that we can’t know anything? What is the definition of knowledge?
What do we mean by “meaning”? Does it make sense to ask questions
about the nature of reality?
A2
Unit 3 Topic 2: Philosophy of Mind
Is the mind the same thing as the brain? Alternatively, is the mind the
same thing as the soul? Are there any other options? For example, could
a mind be a function rather than a thing?
A2
Unit 4: Rene Descartes “Meditations”
In this unit we look in detail at a classic philosophical text.
Descartes’ “I think therefore I am” is the most famous
quote in the history of philosophy. With it, Descartes has determined
the course of modern philosophy. However, does Descartes succeed in proving
that we can be certain of our own existence? Can Descartes use the certainty
of his own existence to show that there are other certainties too? For
example, is maths certain? Is logic? Is the existence of the universe?
Relationships
with other subjects
There are philosophical topics other than those covered on this course.
Some of these can be studied in other A level subjects. In particular,
Ethics and Philosophy of Religion are covered in the A level Religious
Studies course. Also, the subject matter of the A2 Government and Politics
course relates closely to that of Political Philosophy. Students who are
interested may opt for more than one of these subjects together.
Assessment
All four units are assessed by written examination. The Unit 3 Paper is
of 2 hours’ duration. The papers for Units 1, 2 and 4 each last
for 1 hour 30 minutes.
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