Routledge
Book Cover

Philosophy for AS

About the Book

Philosophy for AS is the definitive textbook for students of the new AQA Advanced Subsidiary Level syllabus beginning in 2008. Structured closely around the examination specifications, it covers the two units of the AS level in an exceptionally clear and student-friendly style. As an invitation to philosophy, the book encourages and enables students to engage philosophically with the following syllabus topics:

  • Reason and experience
  • Why should I be governed?
  • Why should I be moral?
  • The idea of God
  • Persons
  • Knowledge of the external world
  • Tolerance
  • The value of art
  • God and the world
  • The debate about free will and determinism

All the chapters are split into Introduction, which introduces the basic ideas, arguments and objections of the issue, and Development, which clarifies the previous section, introduces more complex ideas, and encourages students to link up ideas and draw new implications. To aid student learning and revision, each chapter includes:

  • comprehension questions to test core knowledge
  • discussion questions to deepen understanding
  • ‘going further’ sections for advanced study
  • cross-references to help students make connections
  • helpful summaries and a glossary.

In addition, a chapter on exam preparation contains a wealth of helpful hints and tips on revision and exam techniques.

Philosophy for AS is an essential course book for all students of AS level philosophy.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • An invitation to philosophy
  • How to use this book
  • Companion website and further resources
  • The examination
  • Acknowledgements

Unit 1: An Introduction to Philosophy 1

  • Chapter 1: Reason and experience
  • Introduction
  • Introductory ideas
  • Do all ideas derive from sense experience?
  • Are all claims about what exists ultimately grounded in and justified by sense experience?
  • Conceptual schemes and their philosophical implications
  • Development
  • Do all ideas derive from sense experience? II
  • Are all claims about what exists ultimately grounded in and justified by sense data? II
  • Is certainty confined to introspection and the tautological?
  • Conceptual schemes and their implications II
  • Chapter 2: Why should I be governed?
  • Introduction
    1. The State of Nature
    2. Political Obligation and Consent
    3. Disobedience and Dissent
  • Development
    1. State of Nature
    2. Political Obligation and Consent
    3. Disobedience and Dissent
  • Chapter 3: Why should I be moral?
  • Introduction
    1. Morality as a Social Contract
    2. Morality as Constitutive of Self-Interest
    3. Morality as Overcoming Self-Interest
  • Development
    1. Morality as a Social Contract
    2. Morality as Constitutive of Self-Interest
    3. Morality as Overcoming Self-Interest
  • Chapter 4: The idea of God
  • Introduction
    1. The Divine Attributes
    2. The Ontological Argument
    3. The Origins of ‘God’
  • Development
    1. The Divine Attributes
    2. The Ontological Argument
    3. The Origins of ‘God’
  • Chapter 5: Persons
  • Introduction
    1. What are the Characteristics of Personhood?
    2. What is a Person?
    3. What Secures our Personal Identity through Time?
  • Development
    1. What are the Characteristics of Personhood?
    2. What is a Person?
    3. What Secures our Personal Identity through Time?

Unit 2: An Introduction to Philosophy 2

  • Chapter 6: Knowledge of the external world
  • Introduction
    1. Realism
    2. Representative Realism
    3. Idealism
  • Development
    1. Realism
    2. Representative Realism
    3. Idealism
  • Chapter 7: Tolerance
  • Introduction
    1. The Tolerant Society
    2. The Tolerant Individual
    3. Tensions and Applications
  • Development
    1. The Tolerant Society
    2. The Tolerant Individual
    3. Tensions and Applications
  • Chapter 8: The value of art
  • Introduction
    1. We Value Art because it Informs us
    2. We Value Art because of its Expressive Quality
    3. We Value Art because of its Particular ‘Artistic’ Quality
  • Development
    1. We Value Art because it Informs us
    2. We Value Art because of its Expressive Quality
    3. We Value Art because of its Particular ‘Artistic’ Quality
  • Chapter 9: God and the world
  • Introduction
    1. The Argument from Design
    2. The Problem of Evil
    3. The Religious Point of View
  • Development
    1. The Argument from Design
    2. The Problem of Evil
    3. The Religious Point of View
  • Chapter 10: The debate about free will and determinism
  • Introduction
    1. What is Determinism?
    2. What is Free Will?
    3. The Implications of Determinism
  • Development
    1. What is Determinism?
    2. What is Free Will?
    3. The Implications of Determinism
  • Chapter 11: Preparing for the exam
  • Revision: Knowing what the examiners are looking for
  • Understanding the question: giving the examiners what they want
  • Exam technique: getting the best result you can
  • Revision tips
  • Exam tips
  • Glossary
  • Index by syllabus content
  • Index