United Kingdom · National Curriculum Attainment Targets
Year 13 Philosophy.
This Year 13 Philosophy curriculum explores profound questions concerning the Metaphysics of God and the Metaphysics of Mind, aligning with the national A-Level framework. Students will critically evaluate complex arguments regarding divine attributes, the existence of God, and the fundamental nature of consciousness, fostering rigorous analytical skills and logical reasoning.
01Metaphysics of God: Concept and Existence
An in-depth examination of the traditional attributes of God and the primary a priori and a posteriori arguments for God's existence.
Students examine the traditional divine attributes, including omniscience, omnipotence, and supreme goodness. They will analyse the logical coherence of these concepts and potential paradoxes.
An exploration of a priori arguments for God's existence, focusing on Anselm, Descartes, and Malcolm. Students will evaluate criticisms from Gaunilo and Kant.
Students analyse design arguments from Aquinas, Paley, and Swinburne. The topic includes critical evaluation using Hume's objections and the theory of evolution.
A study of arguments from causation and contingency, including Aquinas' First and Third Ways, and Descartes' cosmological argument. Students will assess objections regarding infinite regress.
02Metaphysics of God: Evil and Language
A critical investigation into the challenges posed by the problem of evil and the philosophical debates surrounding the meaning of religious language.
Students investigate the logical and evidential problems of evil and their challenge to the existence of God. They will evaluate theodicies proposed by Augustine, Irenaeus, and Hick.
An introduction to the debate over whether religious language is meaningful. Students will distinguish between cognitive and non-cognitive uses of language in theology.
Students apply Ayer's verification principle and Flew's falsification symposium to religious claims. They will explore responses from Mitchell and Hare.
03Metaphysics of Mind: Dualism
An exploration of dualist theories of mind, focusing on the distinction between mental and physical substances or properties.
An examination of Descartes' conceivability and indivisibility arguments for substance dualism. Students will evaluate the conceptual interaction problem and empirical objections.
Students explore the view that mental properties are non-physical properties arising from physical substances. The topic covers Chalmers' 'philosophical zombies' and Jackson's 'knowledge argument'.
A critical look at the epistemological challenge of knowing that other minds exist. Students will assess the argument from analogy and the claim that mental states are private.
04Metaphysics of Mind: Physicalism and Functionalism
A comprehensive study of physicalist approaches to the mind, including behaviourism, identity theory, eliminative materialism, and functionalism.
Students analyse hard and soft behaviourism, focusing on Hempel and Ryle. They will evaluate whether mental states can be entirely reduced to behavioural dispositions.
An investigation into the claim that mental states are ontologically reducible to brain states. Students will consider arguments regarding multiple realisability.
Students explore Churchland's argument that folk psychology is a false theory and that mental states do not exist. They will evaluate the counter-intuitive nature of this stance.
A study of functionalism as an alternative to identity theory and behaviourism. Students will examine how mental states are defined by their functional roles and evaluate the 'inverted spectrum' objection.