Philosophy
UNIT 1-4
ONLY UNIT 3&4 RUNNING IN 2023
Philosophy is the oldest academic discipline. It is broadly concerned with ethics, epistemology (philosophy of knowledge) and metaphysics. It is the founding discipline of logic and continues to develop and refine the tools of critical reasoning, influencing approaches in mathematics, science and the humanities. Philosophers grapple with the most profound questions, such as: What is the nature of reality? Is it possible to attain certainty about anything? Is there a common human nature? What is it to live a good life? Philosophy is thus not only concerned with issues of public debate such as artificial intelligence, justification for a charter of human rights or censorship of speech or art, but with the problems that lie at their foundation. Philosophers are concerned with thinking rigorously and rationally about ideas and exploring their meaning, context, coherence and implications. The nature of the questions studied, together with the techniques of reasoning and argument used to study them, can in turn help to create new ideas and insights through learning to think differently.
VCE Philosophy contains a broad introduction to philosophy, exploring themes and debates within metaphysics, epistemology and value theory as well as techniques of reasoning and argument drawn from formal and informal logic. It investigates human nature through the mind/body debate and questions regarding personal identity, leading to an examination of ‘the good life’.
Prescribed primary texts by significant philosophers are used to develop a critical appreciation of key questions and contemporary debates. Where religious concepts and traditions of thought are discussed, they are considered from a philosophical rather than theological point of view.
Aims
This study enables students to:
Understand the nature of western philosophy and its methods
Identify and articulate philosophical questions
Understand and analyse significant philosophical ideas, viewpoints and arguments in their historical contexts
Explore ideas, responding to central philosophical questions, viewpoints and arguments with clarity, precision and logic
Understand relationships between responses to philosophical questions and contemporary issues
Cultivate open-mindedness, reflecting critically on their own thinking and that of others, and exploring alternative approaches to philosophical questions
Structure
The study is made up of four units:
Unit 2: Questions of value
Unit 3: Minds, bodies and persons
Unit 4: The good life
There are no prerequisites to Units 3 and 4, but you must undertake Unit 3 before Unit 4.