AS Examinations
Unit 1 PHIL1
An Introduction to Philosophy 1
50% of AS, 25% of A Level
Written paper, 1 hour 30 minutes
90 marks
Candidates must answer two questions.
Click on the topics covered
Unit 2 – PHIL2
An Introduction to Philosophy 2
50% of AS, 25% of A Level
Written paper, 1 hour 30 minutes
90 marks
Candidates must answer two questions.
Click on the topics Covered
How to Write a good Philosophy essay
Some powerpoints made by yr 13 students to help you construct a good essay.
Click here to get access to downloadable notes on the whole course by Lacewing
Check out the discussions at The Sydney Philosophy club
Choose your topic and listen to 'in our time'
Go on... ask a philosopher and then follow the path ways to other interesting things...
'Squashed Philosophers' For anyone who has managed to get this far and if you are interested enough to read on, then why not have a look at 'Plato' ; 'Kant' and 'Ayer'; 'Turing'; 'Wittgenstein'; 'Hobbes' ; 'Locke'
Reading list
Nagel, T. What Does it All Mean?, OUP 1987
Law, S. The Philosophy Files (Orion 2002), The Outer Limits (Orion 2003), The Philosophy Gym (Hodder Headline 2003): collections of very accessible short pieces on a whole host of philosophical puzzles
Craig, E. Philosophy: a Very Short Introduction, OUP 2002
Blackburn, S. Think, OUP 2001
Hollis, M. Invitation to Philosophy, Blackwell 1997: a longer, more demanding introduction than those above, but a model of clarity
Morton, A. Philosophy in Practice, Blackwell 1995: as with Hollis
Teichman, J. Philosophy: A Beginner's Guide, Blackwell 1991: as with Hollis
Horner, C. & Westacott, E. Thinking Through Philosophy, CUP
Blackburn, S. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, OUP 1996
Warburton, N. Philosophy: the Basics (4th ed.), Routledge 2004
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: an excellent and constantly growing resource; too detailed for students' purposes, but teachers may find some of the articles useful, if challenging
Grayling, A. (ed.) Philosophy: A Guide Through the Subject and Philosophy 2: Further Through the Subject: specifically written for undergraduates at the University of London, the articles give clear and concise coverage of central philosophical issues
Mel Thompson has written a large number of books on A level philosophy and religious studies; see his webpage, www.mel-thompson.co.uk, for further details.
There are a number of good journals that frequently have articles both relevant and accessible to A level students, including:
Richmond Journal of Philosophy