Philosophy

Subject content includes these four modules spread over two years:

1. Epistemology (the theory of knowledge).
2. Moral philosophy (Utilitarianism, Virtue Ethics and Kant and Meta-ethics)
3. Metaphysics of God (attributes, arguments for and against, existence of God, problem of evil and suffering and religious language)
4. Metaphysics of the mind (dualism, functionalism, identity theory).

There are very few subjects that can't be very well combined with philosophy! Students studying sciences will get a lot out of philosophy's careful consideration of the limits of knowledge based on experience while those doing the social sciences and humanities will appreciate the strong relationships between these subjects and Philosophy (Psychology, for example, emerged out of the Philosophy in the 19th century).

Assessment is by written examination. You will sit two three hour papers at the end of of A2.

Philosophy is a subject which poses big and important questions and encourages us to use our best reasoning abilities to answer them. Ultimately, you might say that philosophy is a subject about what people believe and the quality of their reasons for believing these things. Philosophy is a challenging and exciting subject which requires you to be brave about testing your beliefs and attitudes and open to debate and argument. To study Philosophy you need to have achieved at least a grade 5 in GCSE English.

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Sixth Form option blocks

Apart from doing a degree in Philosophy as such, (philosophy is looked upon favourably by employers who see it as providing an excellent grounding in logical and analytic thought) there are many careers which involve aspects of philosophy. If you want to be a lawyer or doctor, for example, you will find that part of your course will involve philosophy and ethics particularly useful.