Philosophy

*IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM THE JUDD SCHOOL FOR SEPTEMBER 2024 APPLICATIONS*

Applications open: - awaiting information from school

Applications close: - awaiting information from school

Entry Requirements: - 6.5 average point score, minimum of 4 in English Language and Maths GCSE. Entry grade criteria for A Level subjects chosen.

How to Apply: - We are not taking applications via KentChoices

Open Event: - To be confirmed, please check our school website for updates

Why choose this subject?

"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates

Why are we here? Is there a God? How do we know what is right or wrong? Do we have freewill? Can we really know anything? Formal and organised study of academic subjects (school) started with Philosophy, the subject which has laid the foundations for everything else we learn today. Philosophy teaches us to think for ourselves rather than relying on the views of others, it teaches us to think clearly, enabling us to make rational, logical and considered judgements, and it teaches us to be intellectually curious, grappling with life’s most fascinating questions. Young people are the future, and with more young people developing the skills that Philosophy gives us we will be much better placed to tackle the many considerable facing the world today.

Why study it at The Judd School?

Lessons balance class teaching and discussion with independent research and project work. Students will have the opportunity to participate in debates, and research and present topics of interest to them. There will be opportunities to attend conferences conducted by modern philosophers, as well as collaborating with students from other local grammar schools.

As well as Philosophy students who take this subject generally go on to study a wide range of subjects from medicine to law; universities are keen for their undergraduates to be able to think for themselves and the skills gained in Philosophy demonstrate this very effectively. Furthermore, the skills of analytical thinking and arguing logically developed in Philosophy are highly sought after in many high profile careers from law to politics.

Philosophy is suitable for students of all faiths and none. Students are encouraged to reflect on and develop their own points of view, while critically engaging with alternative ideas. There is a Senior Philosophy Society open to all Sixth Formers and there are opportunities to help run a Philosophy club for younger students (subject to COVID-19 restrictions being eased).

What you will be learning (course outline):

Epistemology:

Epistemology is the study of knowledge and belief. It is concerned with the following questions: What is knowledge? Where does it come from? What is its nature, and what are its limits? Students will consider and evaluate a range of theories of knowledge.

Learners will study:

• What is knowledge?

• Perception as a source of knowledge

• Reason as a source of knowledge

• The limits of knowledge

Moral Philosophy:

Ethics, or moral philosophy, is the study of the ‘good’. It is concerned with how human beings should live, how we can define and understand ‘good’ and ‘evil’ and what is right and wrong. Students will apply philosophical reasoning to the realm of morality, studying ethical theories from Aristotle to contemporary philosophers. They will also learn to apply these theories to a range of practical moral issues.

Learners will study:

• Normative Ethical Theories (Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics, Virtue Ethics)

• Applied Ethics (stealing, simulated killing, eating animals, telling lies)

• Meta-Ethics

Metaphysics of God:

This topic deals with the key issues in philosophy of religion, focusing on questions such as: What do we mean when we talk about God? Is it possible to prove (or disprove) God’s existence using reason or sense experience? Are religious truth claims about God meaningful? Students will apply formal philosophical logic to these areas and learn to draw their own justified conclusions.

Learners will study:

• The concept and nature of ‘God’

• Arguments relating to the existence of God (ontological, teleological, cosmological, problem of evil)

• Religious Language

Metaphysics of Mind:

It has been said that the philosophical study of the mind is akin to trying to view your face with your own physical eyes. Metaphysics of the mind is an investigation into the nature of what we call the mind and the ‘mind-body problem’; students will explore the relationship between thought and consciousness in the human mind and the brain as part of the physical body.

Learners will study:

• What do we mean by ‘mind’?

• Dualist theories

• Physicalist theories

• Functionalism

Philosophy A-Level includes the study of set texts and original philosophical works for all topics.

Exam only (no coursework).

Two 3-hour written papers.

Grade 7 in a relevant GCSE subject (Maths, English Literature, RS)

7 in a relevant GCSE subject (Maths, English Literature, RS)