philosophy for a level choices!!!

i'm currently in year eleven and i need to finalise my a level choices soon. i really enjoy rs gcse and i normally get really good grades with it(90%<). i’m considering doing it for a level as philosophy but i'm worried that it'll be hard or just not as interesting. what does a level philosophy include??

Reply 1

racracrac

im assuming youre talking about the aqa a level philosophy here! im in year 13 rn & so have done the whole course and can comfortably say that it has been my most enjoyable a level (my other subjects are eng lit and classical civilisations for context)

the course has four sections: epistemology, moral philosophy, metaphysics of god & metaphysics of mind
epistemology is about how we define knowledge, how we can gain knowledge (through perception & sense experience) and how we can justify having knowledge
moral philosophy covers a number of different theories about how to approach ethics/morality and how you'd apply these theories to certain scenarios
metaphysics of god covers whether the definition of god is coherent, different ways people have attempted to prove god's existence, how we should think of religious language, and how evil challenges the existence of god
metaphysics of mind questions what we mean when we think of 'mind' and different accounts of how mind can be defined

it can seem a little complicated at first, but once you start learning it all becomes a lot easier (and very interesting). i dont think you need to worry about it being too hard. if you have a good memory and are decent at writing coherently, then you're pretty much all set!! and there's also a lot of very very good resources online if you do ever get stuck, or need a different explanation for something outside of your teacher's words

here are two of the most helpful, in my opinion:
https://philosophyalevel.com/ (outlines the entire course)
https://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9781138690394/ (has powerpoints and word docs for every topic of the course)

the exams aren't too bad either. you have two, 3 hour long papers. each one has two three-markers, four five-markers, two twelve-markers, and two 25-markers

Reply 2

Leafy1223

Original post by feiwnfvioebd

are you talking about aqa philosophy? I do aqa and it can definitely be a handful and a bit boring at times but that’s the same with pretty much every a level. If you put the work in it’s very rewording and incredibly interesting (even if all lessons aren’t). Since u do rs year two content will definitely be easier for you which is great since that generally the harder content. In aqa you got moral philosophy(including applied ethics) epistemology (which is all about knowledge) metaphysics of mind and metaphysics of god. it’s content heavy but what a level isn’t. I’d watch videos from philosophy vibe on youtube to see if it’s something you are going to be interested in!!

Reply 3

scarlet-paddle

Original post by feiwnfvioebd

Aqa Philosophy is challenging, but interesting and is usually viewed as more impressive by universities because it is difficult and takes a lot of critical thinking (but it is a very rewarding a level). Religion and Ethics (which is often referred to as Philosophy) is less challenging and less impressive and only covers some of the Philosophy spec, although this does not mean it is easy as all A levels are hard in their own way. I would double check which one your school offers and then pick according to what suits your needs best. I will say that Philosophy A level has been a fantastic experience, but if you’re less academic it may not be for you.