EuraStudy
‹Revision

Revision·Revision / N11UK · A-Levels

Philosophy

A-Level Philosophy (AQA 7172) is a rigorous training in analytic argument across four core areas: epistemology (perception, the definition of knowledge, and the origin of concepts and knowledge), moral philosophy (normative ethics, applied ethics and meta-ethics), the metaphysics of God (the concept of God, the arguments for and against God's existence, and religious language), and the metaphysics of mind (the mind-body problem — dualism, physicalism and functionalism). Throughout, candidates learn to reconstruct arguments premise by premise, to run the dialectic of objection and reply, and to analyse and evaluate positions to a sustained, justified conclusion.

0/93 Texts·17 Chapters·~444 min total

Continue reading — Chapter ITable of contents
LPAQA 7172 3.1 Epistemology — The definition of knowledgeLPDfE GCE Philosophy subject contentLPAQA 7172 3.1 Epistemology — Perception as a source of knowledgeLPAQA 7172 3.1 Epistemology — Reason as a source of knowledgeLPAQA 7172 3.1 Epistemology — The limits of knowledgeLPAQA 7172 3.2 Moral philosophy — Normative ethical theories+12 more●○○Foundation●●○Standard●●●Advanced
Table of contents · 17 ChaptersT·17
Ch. IWhat is knowledge?6 texts · 0 read
  • Three kinds of knowledgeText L·01 · Recommended start4 min
  • The tripartite view: justified true beliefText L·024 min
  • The Gettier problemText L·034 min
  • Responses I: infallibilism and no false lemmasText L·044 min
  • Responses II: reliabilism and virtue epistemologyText L·054 min
  • Does any analysis of knowledge succeed?Text L·064 min
Ch. IIPerception as a source of knowledge6 texts · 0 read
  • Direct realism and the immediate object of perceptionText L·074 min
  • The arguments from illusion and perceptual variationText L·084 min
  • Indirect realism and sense-dataText L·094 min
  • The veil of perception and scepticismText L·104 min
  • Berkeley's idealismText L·115 min
  • Which theory of perception succeeds?Text L·125 min
Ch. IIIReason as a source of knowledge6 texts · 0 read
  • Key distinctions: a priori, analytic, necessaryText L·134 min
  • Innatism: Plato and LeibnizText L·144 min
  • Empiricism against innate knowledge: the tabula rasaText L·154 min
  • Concept empiricism: the copy principle and HumeText L·165 min
  • The intuition and deduction thesisText L·175 min
  • Rationalism or empiricism?Text L·185 min
Ch. IVThe limits of knowledge5 texts · 0 read
  • Philosophical scepticism: local and global doubtText L·194 min
  • Descartes' three waves of doubtText L·205 min
  • The cogito as a foundationText L·214 min
  • Rebuilding knowledge: God and the external worldText L·225 min
  • The Cartesian circle and other responsesText L·235 min
Ch. VNormative ethical theories6 texts · 0 read
  • Utilitarianism: Bentham and the felicific calculusText L·244 min
  • Mill, higher pleasures, and rule utilitarianismText L·255 min
  • Kantian deontology: the categorical imperativeText L·265 min
  • Objections to utilitarianism and to KantText L·275 min
  • Aristotelian virtue ethics: eudaimonia and the meanText L·285 min
  • Comparing the three theoriesText L·295 min
Ch. VIApplied ethics5 texts · 0 read
  • Applying the theories: the methodText L·304 min
  • StealingText L·315 min
  • Simulated killingText L·325 min
  • Eating animalsText L·335 min
  • Telling liesText L·345 min
Ch. VIIMeta-ethics6 texts · 0 read
  • The meta-ethical mapText L·354 min
  • Ethical naturalism and Moore's open-question argumentText L·365 min
  • Non-naturalism and intuitionismText L·375 min
  • Mackie's error theoryText L·385 min
  • Non-cognitivism: emotivism and prescriptivismText L·395 min
  • Is-ought and the status of moral languageText L·405 min
Ch. VIIIThe concept and nature of God5 texts · 0 read
  • The divine attributesText L·414 min
  • Omnipotence and the paradox of the stoneText L·425 min
  • Omniscience and human freedomText L·435 min
  • God and time: eternal or everlastingText L·445 min
  • Supreme goodness and the coherence of the conceptText L·455 min
Ch. IXOntological arguments5 texts · 0 read
  • A priori arguments and Anselm's Proslogion 2Text L·464 min
  • Necessary existence: Proslogion 3 and MalcolmText L·475 min
  • Descartes' versionText L·484 min
  • Gaunilo's perfect islandText L·495 min
  • Kant: existence is not a predicateText L·506 min
Ch. XTeleological (design) arguments5 texts · 0 read
  • Design qua purpose and design qua regularityText L·514 min
  • The argument from analogy and Paley's watchText L·524 min
  • Hume's objectionsText L·535 min
  • The Darwinian objectionText L·545 min
  • Fine-tuning and SwinburneText L·555 min
Ch. XICosmological arguments5 texts · 0 read
  • The structure of cosmological argumentsText L·564 min
  • The Kalam argumentText L·575 min
  • Aquinas' first three WaysText L·585 min
  • Leibniz and the principle of sufficient reasonText L·595 min
  • Objections: Hume and RussellText L·606 min
Ch. XIIThe problem of evil6 texts · 0 read
  • Moral and natural evil; the concept of evilText L·614 min
  • The logical problem: Mackie's inconsistent triadText L·625 min
  • The evidential problem: Hume and RoweText L·635 min
  • The free-will defence (Plantinga)Text L·646 min
  • The soul-making theodicy (Hick)Text L·656 min
  • Do the theodicies succeed?Text L·665 min
Ch. XIIIReligious language5 texts · 0 read
  • Cognitivism and non-cognitivism about religious languageText L·674 min
  • The verification principle and AyerText L·685 min
  • Responses: eschatological verification and self-refutationText L·695 min
  • The falsification principle (Flew)Text L·705 min
  • Bliks and assertions: Hare and MitchellText L·717 min
Ch. XIVWhat do we mean by 'mind'?5 texts · 0 read
  • The features of the mentalText L·725 min
  • Phenomenal properties: qualiaText L·735 min
  • IntentionalityText L·745 min
  • The mind-body problemText L·754 min
  • A map of the theories of mindText L·764 min
Ch. XVDualist theories of mind6 texts · 0 read
  • Substance dualism: Descartes' argumentsText L·775 min
  • Property dualismText L·785 min
  • The knowledge argument (Mary)Text L·795 min
  • The zombie/conceivability argumentText L·805 min
  • Objections: interaction and other mindsText L·815 min
  • Do the dualist arguments succeed?Text L·825 min
Ch. XVIPhysicalist theories of mind6 texts · 0 read
  • Physicalism and the varieties of physicalismText L·834 min
  • Logical behaviourism: Ryle and the category mistakeText L·845 min
  • Mind-brain type identity theoryText L·855 min
  • Multiple realisabilityText L·865 min
  • Eliminative materialismText L·875 min
  • Objections and the standing of physicalismText L·885 min
Ch. XVIIFunctionalism5 texts · 0 read
  • Functionalism: mental states as functional rolesText L·895 min
  • Functionalism's advantages over behaviourism and identity theoryText L·905 min
  • Inverted qualiaText L·915 min
  • Absent qualia: Block's China brainText L·926 min
  • The Chinese Room and the limits of functionalismText L·936 min
Reading progress · subject
—Read
0/93
Texts
~444
min total
Recommended start
What is knowledge? · Ch. I
Three kinds of knowledge
Text L·01 · 4 min
Read now
Instrument · 01Recommended study order
  1. 1What is knowledge?
  2. 2Perception as a source of knowledge
  3. 3Reason as a source of knowledge
  4. 4The limits of knowledge
  5. 5Normative ethical theories
  6. 6Applied ethics
  7. 7Meta-ethics
  8. 8The concept and nature of God
  9. 9Ontological arguments
  10. 10Teleological (design) arguments
  11. 11Cosmological arguments
  12. 12The problem of evil
  13. 13Religious language
  14. 14What do we mean by 'mind'?
  15. 15Dualist theories of mind
  16. 16Physicalist theories of mind
  17. 17Functionalism
Instrument · 02Exam structure
Paper 1 (7172/1) — Epistemology and moral philosophy
Written examination, 3 hours, 100 marks, 50% of the A-Level. Two sections: Section A — Epistemology (perception, reason, the definition of knowledge and the limits of knowledge); Section B — Moral philosophy (utilitarianism, Kantian deontology, Aristotelian virtue ethics, applied ethics and meta-ethics). Each section is assessed through a graded set of questions at 3, 5, 12 and 25 marks: the short 3- and 5-mark questions test precise definition and explanation (AO1); the 12-mark question requires a fuller exposition of an argument or position (AO1); the 25-mark essay requires sustained analysis and evaluation to a justified conclusion (AO1 and AO2).
Paper 2 (7172/2) — Metaphysics of God and metaphysics of mind
Written examination, 3 hours, 100 marks, 50% of the A-Level. Two sections: Section A — Metaphysics of God (the concept and nature of God; ontological, teleological and cosmological arguments; the problem of evil; religious language); Section B — Metaphysics of mind (the features of mental states; dualism; physicalism; functionalism, and the objections to each). The same tariff structure applies — 3, 5, 12 and 25-mark questions — with the 25-mark essays rewarding a reconstructed argument, a sustained dialectic of objection and reply, and a reasoned overall judgement.
Assessment objectives and grading
AO1 — demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the philosophical positions, arguments, thinkers and technical vocabulary prescribed by the specification (weighted 50%). AO2 — analyse and evaluate those positions and arguments, constructing a sustained line of reasoning that reaches a justified conclusion (weighted 50%). The two papers are of equal weight; assessment is linear, sat at the end of the course, and graded A*–E. There is no coursework and no set-text examination beyond the anthology of prescribed thinkers named in the specification.
Instrument · 03Official sources
  • GCE AS and A level subject content for philosophyDepartment for Education
  • AQA A-level Philosophy (7172) specificationAQA

EuraStudy·Revision N11·MMXXVI

From study order to the exam — topic by topic.