Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (Year 12)
See Year 12s Philosophy, Religion & Ethics ‘Schedule of Learning’ for the 2025/26 academic year:
| Topic | Sub-topic |
|---|---|
| Normative Ethical Theories | Intro: Deontological, Teleological, Character Based |
| NET | Natural Moral Law |
| NET | Natural Moral Law |
| NET | Situation Ethics |
| NET | Virtue Ethics |
| NET | Application of NET (Lying) |
| NET | Application of NET (Lying) |
| NET | Embryos + Abortion |
| NET | Euthanasia + Capital Punishment |
| NET | Humans vs Animals |
| NET | Humans vs Animals |
| Meta-Ethics | Divine Command Theory |
| Meta-Ethics | Naturalism |
| Meta-Ethics | Non-Naturalism (Intuitionism) |
| Meta-Ethics | Emotivism |
| Meta-Ethics | Utilitarianism |
| Meta-Ethics | Comparison of the three |
| Free Will and Determinsim | What makes someone morally responsible? |
| Free Will and Determinsim | Hard determinsim (Scientific and Theological) |
| Free Will and Determinsim | Libertarianism +Soft Determinsim |
| Free Will and Determinsim | Predestination |
| Conscience | Religious vs Secular |
| Kant + Bentham | Comparison of the three |
| Christianity | Cx, Gender and Sexuality |
| Christianity | Female ordination |
| Christianity | Hampson vs Ruether |
| Christianity | Biblical criticism |
| Christianity | Homosexuality and Transgender issues |
| Christianity | The meaning + Purpose of Life, Resurrection |
| Christianity | The afterlife |
| Design Argument | Philosophical arguments |
| Paley + Hume | |
| Status as a proof and reason/faith | |
| Design Argument practice question | |
| Cosmological Argument | Aquinas’ argument |
| Hume and Russell | |
| Evaluation and status/value | |
| CA review+ essays | |
| Ontological Argument | Anselm + Gaunilo |
| Proslogium 3 + Kant | |
| Value and evaluation | |
| Evil and Suffering | Intro + logical problem |
| Evidential problem | |
| Freewill Defence + Hick | |
| Griffin + implications | |
| Philosophy and faith + evaluation | |
| Religious Experiences | Intro + Otto numinous |
| Mystical – James and Stace | |
| Challenges and influence | |
| Value and review | |
| Miracles | Intro + different understandings |
| Hume + Wiles | |
| Significance and evaluation | |
| Religious Language | Intro + verification |
| Falsification and responses | |
| Hare and Wittgenstein | |
| Cognitive and Aquinas | |
| Via negativa and Tillich | |
| Revision |
Exam Board – AQA
What will you study?
Philosophy: Arguments for the existence of God (Design, Cosmological and Ontological)
Ethics: Introduction to normative ethical theories, application of ethical theories
Philosophy: Evil and Suffering, Religious Experience, Religious Language
Ethics: Introduction to meta-ethics, Free will and moral responsibility
Philosophy: Miracles, Self and life after death
Ethics: Conscience and Bentham and Kant
Useful tips and resources
Use My Revision Notes to revise key concepts
Practice past paper questions
AQA – Past Paper questions
A Level Philosophy – Help on how to structure essay questions, and breakdowns of key concepts
What super curricular activities can KS5 students engage with at school?
Dialogues magazine
In Our Time Podcast
Brian Davies, Introduction to Philosophy of Religion (Oxford, 3rd edition, 2004)
Richard Swinburne, Is There a God? (Oxford, revised edition, 2010)
Alasdair MacIntyre, A Short History of Ethics: A History of Moral Philosophy from the Homeric Age to the Twentieth Century (London: Routledge, 2nd ed., 1998)
Documentary, THE STORY OF GOD (2016)
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.
The Puzzle of Ethics and The Puzzle of God by Peter Vardy.
Documentary, Divine Women with Bettany Hughes
Ask Miss Stella or Ms Broadhurst for more specific recommendations of books or articles based on the topics you find most interesting