Philosophy

The Subject

The Philosophy Department at Collingham has had outstanding results over the last three years, with 40% of all students getting A grade, and teaches genuinely transferable skills in analytical thinking.

 

“An unexamined life is not worth living”

So said Socrates, the first philosopher in the West. John Stuart Mill agreed with him: even if examining your life makes you discontented in some ways, it is still worth doing, because it is better to be a discontented Socrates than a contented pig. Cypher makes the wrong decision when he chooses to go back into the Matrix. Philosophy is critical reflection on our fundamental beliefs. It is an "ideas" subject, and all you need to begin philosophy is a fascination with ideas, or with "the big questions" (as the title of one introductory book puts it), such as: • Do we have free will or are we just a product of our genes and upbringing? • What is consciousness and how is it related to the brain? • Could computers have minds? • Could the mind survive the death of the body? • Can we prove that God exists and is it rational to have faith in God? • Does evil show that God doesn’t exist? • Is morality more than subjective opinion? • Why should I obey the law, and is civil disobedience ever justified? Philosophy teaches you to think about such questions in a rigorous, logical, analytical manner. It trains you to think clearly and express yourself accurately, to break down and build up arguments, so it should help your work in other subjects too. Philosophy is half-way between the Sciences and the Humanities, and combines well with almost any other subject, both at A level and at university. Though not itself a vocational subject, it is a useful background for entry into a wide range of careers (e.g. management, law, information technology, public administration), indeed for any job where one needs to be able to think logically and present ideas clearly.

 

The course

The A2 course involves one theme (Philosophy of Mind or Political Philosophy) and one text (Nietzsche), each examined in a one-hour paper in June; and a 4,000-word Extended Essay prepared in advance on a title chosen from a set list.
The one-year course involves, in addition to the A2 component, 3 one-hour papers on: Theory of Knowledge, Philosophy of Religion, and Sartre. All exams are in the summer session.
The new AS course is available in winter (January) as well as summer. It involves two units, each examined in a 90-minute paper. Unit 1 comprises a compulsory theme, Reason and Experience, and one other, eg Why Should I Be Moral? Unit 2 comprises two themes, eg God and the World, and Free Will and Determinism.

 

AQA is the only board available