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.

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 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!

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.