A Level RE

Can someone tell me what A Level RE and philosophy is like please. Do they teach the same thing

look at the specification website for the exam board, for aqa its kinda the same as gcse but more in depth: utilitarianism, abortion but with philosophy, thology, a different religious context as well

Reply 2

Obolinda

Volunteer Team

I have moved your thread to a more relevant forum! :h:

Reply 3

Joe312

Original post by Kit_the_fisto101

Can someone tell me what A Level RE and philosophy is like please. Do they teach the same thing

Both involve studying arguments for and against God's existence. The main difference is that in RE you learn about a religion, whereas in Philosophy you learn about some philosophical topics that don't have much to do with religion. So the choice comes down to whether you want to study a religion or not.

Reply 4

username5160674

Original post by Joe312

Yeah, I would refer to this, but also there is a section where Christianity is studied (I know for some exam boards, but not sure for all). Like said before, go online and check specs for different exam boards, as that is the best way to understand it for yourself.

Reply 5

Gwil

For most exam boards, A-Level RS and Philosophy share between half and two thirds of their content: they both normally include Ethics and Philosophy of Religion / the Metaphysics of God. In RS, the other third will normally be the study of the teachings of a specific religion, while in Philosophy it would be the Philosophy of Knowledge or some other branch less closely related to religion.

Reply 6

Kit_the_fisto101

Original post by Joe312

So in philosophy you’ll learn about things like abortion and afterlife where as RE you would learn about God and different religions

Reply 7

Gwil

Original post by Kit_the_fisto101

So in philosophy you’ll learn about things like abortion and afterlife where as RE you would learn about God and different religions

You'd study abortion, the afterlife, and God in both :smile:

The difference is that in RE you would examine them from a religious point of view as well as a philosophical one.

Reply 8

Joe312

Original post by Gwil

You'd study abortion, the afterlife, and God in both :smile:

The difference is that in RE you would examine them from a religious point of view as well as a philosophical one.

No you don't study abortion or the afterlife in Philosophy A level.

Reply 9

Gwil

Original post by Joe312

No you don't study abortion or the afterlife in Philosophy A level.

I guess it must vary from exam board to exam board, but abortion may be studied as an example under Moral Philosophy, and the afterlife under Metaphysics of Mind. But they definitely aren't given the kind of focus they get in A-Level RE.

Reply 10

Joe312

Original post by Gwil

There is only one exam board for Philosophy A level: AQA. Abortion isn't part of the specification for moral philosophy so you could never get a question on it in the exam. Metaphysics of Mind includes debates on whether there is a soul but only as part of the debate between dualism and physicalism but nothing about religious views on the afterlife.