Philosophy

Advice on choosing a topic in Philosophy

The topic must be explicitly philosophical in nature, rather than, say, anthropological or sociological.

The student’s choice of topic may be stimulated by, for example:

• work done in class

• current events or issues of contemporary debate

• private reading or reflection

• curiosity about conceptual features of knowledge, beliefs and value systems not previously encountered by the student.

Examples of focused topics:

• The notion of freedom of speech in Spinoza’s Theologico-Politico Treatise

• An examination of Benedetto Croce’s views on art

• John Rawls’ procedure of justifying principles of social justice

Advice for research in Philosophy

When thinking about your topic ensure you can access a range of information and different perspectives. You will not need to reference as many sources as history EE, for example, yet it’s still vital that you read and draw from a variety of material.

Excellent sources of information are the school library, google scholar, and academic digital libraries such as jstor. Once you have read what you can find, you are then in a position to contact experts and academics in the field in order to acquire more information, often being more specialised and specific.

Once students have identified their topic and written their research question, they can decide how to research their answer. They may find it helpful to write a statement outlining their broad approach.

Topic

The moral status of stem cells

Research question

Is it justified to ascribe a moral status to stem cells?

Approach

An exploration and justification of criteria that might allow a moral status to be ascribed to stem cells.

Topic

Art and politics in Hannah Arendt’s “The Crisis in Culture”

Research question

Are art and politics opposed or are they complementary in Hannah Arendt’s essay “The Crisis in Culture” ?

Approach

An investigation into the relation between art and politics in “The Crisis in Culture”.

Topic

The roots of wisdom according to the Tao Te Ching

Research question

Does wisdom necessarily imply acting in accordance with the order of nature, according to the Tao Te Ching?

Approach

An exploration of the idea of wisdom according to Tao Te Ching.

Advice for write-up in Philosophy

It’s crucial to ensure the topic lends itself to critical analysis and evaluation, rather than just a narrative of different ideas. In other words, as well as a careful critical analysis of themes and/or texts, you must develop your own philosophical evaluation.

The Philosophy EE should encourage students to:

• develop the ability to reason and argue

• learn to take a personal and independent position on philosophical issues.

Students should construct a personal philosophical argument that should be cogent, clear and supported by relevant and, if possible, original examples. Coherence of ideas and attention to detail are necessary conditions for an effective Philosophy EE. Students should envisage counterclaims or objections, address them and, if possible, rebut them. They should also explore the wider implications of the issues they raise without becoming irrelevant.

The key skills being assessed are knowledge and understanding, analysis, and evaluation. Therefore, your work should excel in all areas.