Aims of the course

The aim of the IB Philosophy is to empower students to engage in 'doing philosophy'. This is more than a 'history of philosophy' course. It is designed to develop students who are intellectually curious and wish to think critically about the information they are given. Students will be encouraged to draw on their own experiences and perspectives to evaluate and assess the arguments of philosophers from ancient Greece all the way to contemporary thinkers. They will explore a range of questions regarding human nature to ascertain what it is that makes us 'human'. They will learn about numerous ethical theories, apply them to modern issues such as abortion and euthanasia to evaluate whether 'right and wrong' are absolutes. They will determine whether it is possible to prove or disprove the existence of God. Most importantly they will see how all of these questions are relevant and fundamental in understanding and affecting the world around them.

Course Outline

Core Theme—What makes us Human? (HL and SL)

• Rationalism and Empiricism

• Existentialism, Free Will and Determinism

• Natural Law and the Social Contract

• Identity and the self
  The Mind, the Body and Dualism

• Personhood and moral rights - do animals and robots deserve them?

Optional Theme 1. Philosophy of Religion (HL and SL)

• • • • The Philosophical God vs. The Religious God

      • Logic based arguments for and against God—Cosmological, Ontological, Teleological

      • Arguments based on miracles, experience and morality

      • The Problem of Evil

      • Religious Language

Optional Theme 2. Ethics (HL only)

• Utilitarianism

• Virtue ethics and Aristotle's Golden Mean

• Meta –Ethics

• Deontology - duty based ethics

• Applied ethics - how do these theories work in modern debates around abortion, euthanasia etc.

The Prescribed Text (HL and SL)

Rene Descartes Meditations

Paper 3—The Unseen Text (HL only)

What is the purpose of philosophy and does it still have relevance today?

External Assessment

HL - Paper One (Core Theme + Two optional Themes) - 40%. Paper 2 (Prescribed Text) - 20%. Paper 3 (Unseen Text) 20%

SL - Paper One (Core Theme + One optional Themes) - 50%. Paper 2 (Prescribed Text) - 25%

Internal Assessment - HL 20% / SL - 25%

Both the Standard and Higher level pupils must complete an Internal Assessment as part of their Philosophy course.

The beauty of the philosophy course work is that it is entirely at the students discretion what they write about.

They must pick a non-philosophical stimulus (such as a film, book, song or picture) and explore the philosophical concepts that they believe are prevalent in the piece.

For example:

• • • • Are the Hunger Games ethical from a Utilitarian standpoint?

      • How do the lyrics of Marilyn Manson’s ‘The Reflecting God’ allow us to explore the problem of evil?

      • What can Frodo and Lord of the Rings teach us about Duty?

      • Is the Joker the embodiment of existential ideals?

      • Do Zombies in The Walking Dead have Personhood?

Careers

The skills developed within philosophy are transferable to a whole host of degrees and as such philosophy is an ideal qualification for any career where critical thinking and evaluation of information is essential. Students who have studied philosophy go on to work in a wide range of industries such as journalism, law, human rights activism, medicine and health care, social work and politics.