This printable textbook provides a systematic explanation for every point mentioned in the specification. In the next section It then provides arguments for and against each point and, where appropriate, summarises arguments using premises and conclusions. The file is a .doc Word file, 140 pages in length, 72000 words. It is designed to be a comprehensive reader for AQA Philosophy students. This should be viewed as a printable information book: it does not include learning activities or images. It aims to provide the necessary information as effectively and comprehensively as possible. Note: it does not cover the Applied Ethics section which, if this resource succeeds, will be covered in a later volume.

This fun philosophy lesson is focused on ‘Animal Ethics’: the branch of ethics which examines human-animal relationships, the moral consideration of animals and how nonhuman animals ought to be treated. Animal ethics explores topics such as animal rights, animal welfare, animal law, speciesism, animal cognition, wildlife conservation, wild animal suffering, the moral status of nonhuman animals, the concept of nonhuman personhood, human exceptionalism, the history of animal use, and theories of justice. This philosophy session is of interest to teachers of all school subjects who are hoping to explore ethics with young learners; since it explores moral issues in depth the resource is a great contribution to your schools SMSC remit. This session explores topics such as: Our moral duties towards animals The ethics of eating meat Animal testing Blood-sports and Utilitarian theories of animal ethics The big question asked in this session is “When (if ever) is it morally acceptable to cause an animal to suffer?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical and ethical questions such as: What does the term ‘animal rights’ mean? To what extent is it morally wrong to eat animals such as cats and dogs? To what extent is it morally wrong to test cosmetics on animals? and To what extent is hunting wild animals a moral hobby? Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “Humans are inherently superior & valuable to all other animals” “Animal testing is morally acceptable if the animals are being used to create new medicines” “All species go extinct eventually: protecting endangered species is a waste of time" and “An insect does not have an experience of living and cannot feel pain” This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. With a massive selection of activities designed to trigger philosophical discussions, debates and reflections: you can re-use the resource numerous times with the same group. This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy!

Philosophers and sages have reflected on the nature and significance of death and mortality since ancient times whilst reflecting on the possibility of an afterlife in the face of the mystery of death. According to many philosophers and psychologists: a healthy appreciation of one’s own finitude is essential for living a full life and for striving to live without regrets. Speaking about death and dying is a taboo in our society and yet by failing to speak openly about it we can often exacerbate the fear of death in young minds and feed their anxieties around death. This interactive philosophy lesson allows for open and reasonable discussions about death, mortality, and the possibility (or impossibility) of an afterlife. It is created without a religious or cultural bias or an agenda to persuade or convert students to a particular viewpoint in relation to the afterlife. This session is ideal for teachers who want to explore these deep matters of life and death with students aged 8-16; we’ve carefully selected the most significant issues and questions relating to death and the afterlife so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The nature of the death The benefits of contemplating one’s own mortality Different views about the afterlife Whether or believing in ghosts is justified The value of funerals and honouring the dead Existential psychology Please be careful to time your use of this resource carefully and to deliver it with due sensitivity as some young people might struggle to wrestle with these issues. Please note: this resource discusses a variety of afterlife beliefs (i.e. the possibility of reincarnation, Heaven, Hell and nothingness) and, therefore, will probably involve the analysis and evaluation of religious beliefs. The big question asked in this session is “What are the benefits of thinking deeply about our own mortality?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as: Why do you think people are reluctant to talk about death and dying and that such topics are a taboo in our society? To what extent can thinking about death help us to appreciate and value those around us more? Many people have reported seeing ghosts: to what extent does this prove that ghosts exist? What do you think people experience after they die? How should we live our lives in such a way that we are always ready to die? and To what extent do Near Death Experiences (NDEs) prove that life after death is definitely true?

This multi-use interactive philosophy lesson explores ‘Philosophy of Mind’: the field of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind and how it is linked to the body. The session will also trigger fascinating discussions about ‘the problem of other minds’, how we know whether or not something has a mind, solipsism, how to study the mind, and the possibilities of generating artificial consciousness. This session is ideal for teachers who want to explore philosophy with students aged 8-16; we’ve carefully selected the most significant issues and questions relating to philosophy of mind so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The nature of the mind Qualities and properties associated with the mind The manner in which the mind can be said to exist The relationship between the brain and the mind It outlines and explores the fundamental debate at the core of philosophy of mind surrounding mind-body dualism, physicalism, idealism as well as classic philosophical problems such as the problem of other minds and ‘The Hard Problem of Consciousness’. The big question asked in this session is “Do we ever experience anything other than our own mind?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as What is the mind made of? Do plants have minds? What is the size, shape, and location of the mind? How could you prove to someone else that you have a mind? and What is ‘the external world’ like beyond our mental representations of it? Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “There is no ‘mental stuff’ in reality: only physical stuff exists” “The mind does not have a size” “One day humans will create a computer that has a mind or a conscious experience of existence” and “The colour red doesn’t actually exist in the world: it’s a mental quality that only exists in the mind” This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity. This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy!

Help students to protect themselves against misinformation and delusion with this powerful set of resources! In the age of misinformation teaching critical-thinking skills is an essential duty for teachers and schools. Aside from our standard ‘Fun Philosophy Lesson’ which will help you to trigger deep discussions and engaging debates about critical thinking with ease, this download also includes a special ‘Defence Against the Dark Arts’ lesson which is based on recent research that suggest ‘inoculating against misinformation’ is far more effective than trying to undo false beliefs retrospectively. The resource also includes our Logical Fallacy Training Pack which helps students practice their skills at detecting deceptive and manipulative arguments using the power of reason and logic! This philosophy teaching resource pack is of interest to all teachers working with students aged 8-16 and explores topics such as: The nature of critical thinking The value of scepticism Emotional biases in the pursuit of truth Logical Fallacies Reliable vs unreliable sources of information Detecting misinformation online The big question asked in this session is “How do we know if a particular claim is really true?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as: Why is it important to be sceptical about what we read online? What might happen to a person who had absolutely no critical-thinking skills? What are the main sources of bias that influence your ability to wisely discern truth from falsehood? and To what extent is it possible to be 100% certain about anything? Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “We can trust that what our parents and teachers tell us is definitely true.” “Our emotions and feelings can get in the way of our rational pursuit of the truth” and “We should be wary of people who hold extreme political views” As with all our resources, this session will help students to develop vital communication, social and interpersonal skills: healthy debates will help learners to practice ‘disagreeing in an agreeable fashion’. This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity. The ‘Fun Philosophy Lesson’ resource uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities.

This fun philosophy lesson focuses on political philosophy: the branch of philosophy that explores matters relating to politics, liberty, justice, property, and rights. Political philosophy also explores law and how laws are enforced by authorities, the purpose of government, what rights and freedoms it should protect, what form it should take. Political philosophers also investigate the responsibilities and duties we all have in relation to the state, what duties citizens owe to a legitimate government, and when (if ever) governments may be legitimately overthrown through revolution. This session introduces political philosophy to young learners and refers to important philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This session is of interest to all teachers working with students aged 8-16 but has a special relevance to teachers of civics, politics, and those covering politics in their school’s PSHE/SMSC curricula. This session explores topics such as: Different forms of government The importance of laws The nature of freedom and ‘free societies’ Human Rights The nature of utopias and dystopias The big question asked in this session is “What would a perfect society (utopia) be like? To what extent is creating one possible?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as: What do terms like ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ really mean? What qualities ought a good leader of a country to have? All in all, are we more or less free as a result of living in a modern civilised society? In our own society, which laws (if any) do you think are potentially unjust? Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “Society cannot function without people sacrificing certain freedoms” “I would rather live in a tribe in the jungle than in a modern society” “I can think of ways to improve this society and make it a better system for people to live in” This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy! This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity.

This fun philosophy lesson focuses on aesthetics, art and the nature of beauty. Aestheticians ask questions like “What is a work of art?”, “What makes a work of art successful?”, “Why do we find certain things beautiful?”, “How can things of very different categories be considered equally beautiful?”, “Is there a connection between art and morality?”, “Can art be a vehicle of truth?”, “Are aesthetic judgments objective statements or purely subjective expressions of personal attitudes?”, “Can aesthetic judgments be improved or trained?” This session is of particular interest to Art Teachers and teachers of subjects that have an aesthetic component (such as Design, Crafts, and Textiles); we’ve carefully selected the most significant philosophical issues wrestled with by aestheticians both ancient and modern so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The nature and value of art Different ways of evaluating art The nature of beauty and the degree to which it is “in the eye of the beholder” Cultural and historical relativism in evaluating art and beauty The impact of AI in the creation of art The big question asked in this session is “Is beauty an objective fact or merely ‘in the eye of the beholder’?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as: What makes one object “art” and another object “not art”? How should we measure the value of art? Why do people create art? What are the moral duties of an artist? How can creating art benefit our community and society? This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy! This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. With a massive selection of activities designed to trigger philosophical discussions, debates and reflections: you can re-use the resource numerous times with the same group.

This thought-provoking philosophy teaching resource focuses on applied ethics and explores some of the most important moral issues of our time. Applied ethics refers to the practical application of moral considerations. It is ethics with respect to real-world actions and their moral considerations in the areas of private and public life, the professions, health, technology, law, and leadership. (Disclaimer: this session does not discuss abortion or matters relating to sexual ethics, reproductive ethics and/or relationship ethics (which will be covered in separate sessions). We have tried to create a resource that allows young learners to explore applied ethics in an age-appropriate fashion; nonetheless, the session explores controversial issues and should be thoroughly vetted by individual teachers before using it with their students to check that it is suitable for their classes.) This session is ideal for teachers who want to explore moral decision making with students and is of particular value to teachers who want to nurture the moral development of their students (perhaps in an SMSC or PSHE context) and trigger deeper reflections on the fundamental nature of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and how we can apply these reflections to our own lives; we’ve carefully selected the most significant moral issues and ethical challenges of our age so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The rights of animals Moral challenges presented by new technologies Moral and immoral uses of the internet Ethical & unethical career choices Medical ethics and moral challenges presented medical technologies Artificial Intelligence The big question asked in this session is “What is the most important moral issue in the world right now?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as: To what extent is testing new cosmetics and medicines on animals morally acceptable? To what extent it is morally preferable to use drone weaponry on the battlefield over human beings? What are our moral duties and obligations to future generations? When, if ever, is taking a human life the most moral course of action? This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy!

This thought-provoking philosophy teaching resource focuses on ethics and meta-ethics: instead of focusing on specific moral issues (which is covered in a different session on ‘Applied Ethics’ this re-usable lesson explores the fundamental nature of ethics, the difference between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, the function of moral language, different theories of normative ethics, different ways of thinking about how we ought to live, and deeper issues around the metaphysical status of good and evil. This session is ideal for teachers who want to explore philosophy with students and is of particular value to teachers who want to nurture the moral development of their students (perhaps in an SMSC or PSHE context) and trigger deeper reflections on the fundamental nature of ‘right and wrong’; we’ve carefully selected the most significant issues and questions relating to normative ethics and meta-ethics so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The fundamental nature of good and evil Different ways of evaluating the morality of actions Virtue ethics and what it means ‘to be a good person’ Whether or not morality is absolute or relative (e.g. to different cultures and time-periods) The degree to which moral judgements refer to objective facts The degree to which moral judgements are baseless and arbitrary The big question asked in this session is “What is the fundamental difference between good and evil acts?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as: What makes it reasonable to call a specific action “good”? Are there some actions that we can say are always evil in all situations, time periods and cultures? What is the role of empathy in compassion in determining the most morally correct course of action in life? and What is the most important virtue to cultivate in life? Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “Some actions are morally permissible even when they create suffering for others.” “Some people are born evil” and “It is impossible to truly know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil.” This resource is suitable for teachers of all school subjects who are looking to introduce philosophy, philosophical thinking and critical thinking. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy!

This flexible interactive philosophy lesson focuses on epistemology: the field of philosophy concerned with the nature of knowledge, different potential sources of knowledge, the difference between knowledge and opinion, and the different ways in which beliefs can be evaluated. The download includes a free bonus resource: a comprehensive teaching pack focused on logical fallacies and critical thinking. This session is ideal for teachers who want to explore philosophy with students and, aside from referring to more conventional epistemological issues, it also explores to the importance of critical-thinking and how students can detect misinformation online and discern between reliable and unreliable sources of information; we’ve carefully selected the most significant epistemological issues and questions so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The nature of knowledge The difference between knowledge and belief Different ways of evaluating knowledge claims Intellectual virtues Obstacles that arise in the pursuit of truth This philosophy teaching resource also outlines and explains different epistemological views (such as empiricism, rationalism, fideism and scepticism). The big question asked in this session is “Is it possible to know anything with absolute certainty?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as: To what extent can we rely on the senses as a source of knowledge? How do we evaluate the validity of different beliefs? and What drives the spread misinformation and how can we detect it? Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “It is impossible to know anything with 100% certainty" “We should always be sceptical about what others claim to be true” and “One should never believe in something until one has experienced it personally” This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. Aside from a wide range of debate and discussion activities, teachers can also choose from a variety of more substantial activities such as essay writing, poetry writing, and speech writing tasks. This resource is suitable for teachers of all school subjects who are looking to introduce philosophy, philosophical thinking and critical thinking.

This multi-use interactive learning session explores metaphysics, the field of philosophy concerned with the nature of reality, perception, and existence. Metaphysics also explores issues relating to causality (such as the free-will vs determinism debate), the nature of the mind and its relationship to reality, and more specific issues such as time and the nature of mathematical truths. This session is ideal for teachers who want to explore philosophy with students and might be of particular interest to teachers of science (especially physics); we’ve carefully selected the most significant metaphysical issues and questions so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The nature of reality The degree to which we can perceive reality directly The nature of the mind and its relationship to reality It outlines and explores different metaphysical views (such as physicalism and idealism) as well as different theories of perception (such as direct realism and indirect realism). The big question asked in this session is “What is the nature of reality?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as To what extent can we perceive reality directly? To what extent is reality an entirely material or physical system? How can a purely physical world generate minds, consciousness and mental experiences? Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “It is impossible to know the true nature of reality” “Trees have experiences” and “The mind is not a material object” This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. With a massive selection of activities designed to trigger philosophical discussions, debates and reflections: you can re-use the resource numerous times with the same group. Aside from a wide range of debate and discussion activities, teachers can also choose from a variety of more substantial activities such as essay writing, poetry writing, and speech writing tasks. This resource is suitable for teachers of all school subjects who are looking to introduce philosophy, philosophical thinking and critical thinking. As with all our resources, this session will help students to develop vital communication, social and interpersonal skills: healthy debates will help learners to practice ‘disagreeing in an agreeable fashion’.

This multi-use interactive learning session explores the greatest questions in philosophy. This lesson is a great way to inspire a love of philosophy; we’ve carefully selected the most significant philosophical questions so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The nature and significance of philosophical questions The importance of questioning skills, benefits of critical thinking and ‘questioning everything’ How philosophers go about answering philosophical questions The big question asked in this session is “What is the single most important philosophical question?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as To what extent can we trust our senses? What is the size and location of the mind? To what extent is it possible to directly perceive reality? Since the focus of this session is ‘ultimate philosophical questions’ we’ve aimed to provide a comprehensive range of deep philosophical questions so that students understand the scope of philosophy as a field of intellectual enquiry. Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “Human beings are not free and free-will is an illusion.” “Claims about ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are not claims about reality: they are just subjective opinions.” “It is better to be born into a remote tribe in a jungle than to be born into modern society.” This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. With a massive selection of activities designed to trigger philosophical discussions, debates and reflections: you can re-use the resource numerous times with the same group. Aside from a wide range of debate and discussion activities, teachers can also choose from a variety of more substantial activities such as essay writing, poetry writing, and speech writing tasks. This resource is suitable for teachers of all school subjects who are looking to introduce philosophy, philosophical thinking and critical thinking. As with all our resources, this session will help students to develop vital communication, social and interpersonal skills: healthy debates will help learners to practice ‘disagreeing in an agreeable fashion’. This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy!

This multi-use interactive learning session is an ideal way to introduce philosophy to young learners. This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. With a massive selection of activities designed to trigger philosophical discussions, debates and reflections: you can re-use the resource numerous times with the same group. We designed this lesson not only to introduce philosophy as an intellectual discipline but to inspire a love of philosophical thinking. To this end this session explores topics such as: The nature of philosophy The different fields of philosophy (epistemology, metaphysics, ethics etc.) The philosophical method (of reasoned argumentation) The difference between knowledge and mere belief The big question asked in this session is “What is Philosophy?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a range of other philosophical questions such as Why is it important to think deeply about things? To what extent is it important to question and challenge the assumptions we live by? What is the difference between intelligence and wisdom? To what extent is certain knowledge possible? Students will analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims that have been chosen to represent the extensive range of philosophical enquiry such as: “We should not trust our senses as they are too limited, easy to trick and unreliable” “It’s important to be a sceptic and to doubt claims we hear and read on the internet” “The biggest moral problem of our age is how we treat animals” Aside from a wide range of debate and discussion activities, teachers can also choose from a variety of more substantial activities such as essay writing, poetry writing, and speech writing tasks. This resource is suitable for teachers of all school subjects who are looking to introduce philosophy, philosophical thinking and critical thinking. As with all our resources, this session will help students to develop vital communication, social and interpersonal skills: healthy debates will help learners to practice ‘disagreeing in an agreeable fashion’. This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a stimulating tutor-group activity. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required.

This download is useful for any teachers who are hoping to foster critical thinking skills in KS2 or KS3 students. This resource pack contains: A double-sided A3 poster/table that identifies, describes and exemplifies 32 common logical fallacies A 32 question ‘Logical Fallacy Quiz’ (with a teacher’s answer key) An ‘analysing and evaluating philosophical arguments’ activity’ The A3 poster/table is an excellent resource in and of itself and can be used for other activities in the teaching of critical thinking skills. The quiz is designed to be used alongside the table: students work in pairs or teams to identify examples of logical fallacies. There are 32 questions - which should be ample for a long lesson. This activity can be differentiated by changing team sizes and/or shortening the quiz (allowing for more reflection time). A smaller activity is also included: it introduces the idea of ‘philosophical arguments’, soundness, validity - and provides examples of simple philosophical arguments for young learners to analyse and evaluate. This resource is designed with KS2 and KS3 students in mind.

This resource includes a colourful double-sided A3 worksheet (or poster) outlining the 32 most common logical fallacies. Each logical fallacy is briefly outlined and is accompanied by at least one example to illustrate it. It includes two versions - one is slightly simplified, with the background removed, so as to save printer ink and be more black & white printer friendly. This resource was designed with KS2 and KS3 students in mind.