A01 Philosophy
Come up 2x
2016 Specimen - 1C,1B,1E,2B,2E,3E,3F,4A,4B,4C,4D,
Section A
- 1C,1C Never come up – both been tested in 20
Section B markers
- 2D,3F,4A - 1F,3A
2018
Section A
- 1B, 1E - Not every theme always comes up
Section B - Spec questions are not in order
- 2B,2E,4B - Irrelevant what has and hasn’t come up
as themes are so intertwined
2019 - Unlike Judaism 20/30 markers can be
Section A from different subthemes.
- 3D,3E - Questions themselves don’t even have
Section B to be from the same subtheme (20
- 2F,4D,2BC markers)
- Irenaean type theodicy yet to be tested
2020 - What hasn’t been tested as 30 markers
Section A has come up as 20 markers
- 1B,1D
Section B
- 3B,4F,3E
2021
Section A
- 4A,4E
Section B
- 3C,1A,2A
2022
Section A
- 4D,4B
Section B
- 1E, 2E,3F
,Theme 1A
Examine Aquinas’ cosmological argument for the existence of God
P1
- Cosmological arguments are inductive arguments that try to prove the existence of
god through the use of evidence – they use a posteriori evidence
- Aquinas 1st way tries to give evidence for the existence of god through the ideas of
motion and change
- Things always change – (water has the potential to turn into ice and then it actually
does e.g.)
- Everything needs a force to change, this chain of motion can be tracked back to God
as the ‘unmoved mover’
- ‘therefore it is necessary to arrive at a first mover; put in motion by no other; and
this is god’
P2
- Everything we currently observed is an effect, and effect of a previous cause – this is
Aquinas 2nd way
- We cannot track this chain back infinitely, there cannot be infinite regress – there
mist be a ‘uncaused causer’
- ‘therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the
name god’
P3
- Aquinas 3rd way – contingency and necessity
- Contingent – dependant on others for existence; humans
- There must be something that is not dependant on others for its existence – there
must be a necessary being – God
,Outline the Kalam argument with reference to William Lane Craig
P1
- Cosmological arguments are inductive arguments that try to prove the existence of
god through the use of evidence – they use a posteriori evidence
- The kalam cosmological argument developed in the Muslim world – William lane
craig developed it as he believed that Aquinas did not give enough evidence that
infinite regress was impossible
- Craig used evidence from science to state that nothing can come into existence
without a cause, everything must have a cause
P2
- Craigs arguments come from Muslim thought – in particular Al-Ghazali
- He believed that God is the cause of everything
- When cotton burns it may look like the fire is causing the cotton to burn, but in
reality it is God causing the fire to burn the cotton
- Al- Ghazali believed that the universe must have a beginning – and a creator known
as God
- ‘every being has a cause for its beginning’ – Al-Ghazali
P3
- Craig argues that potential infinite is possible – potential infinity is the ideal limit that
is never reached – useful for mechanics and metaphorical language
- However actual infinite is impossible (example of library, infinite books, red and
black – same number of red and black books)
- As actual infinity is impossible therefore the universe must have a beginning and that
beginning must be god – physical forces could not have made the world
, Theme 1B
Compare Aquinas, Tennant and Paley's forms of the teleological argument
P1
- Teleological arguments attempt to give evidence of god from observing the world
- Teleological arguments look at the outcomes and end purpose of the world – and
see how evidence for god can be explained here ‘this proof is in the most accordance
with common reason of mankind and should be respected’ – Kant
P2
- Aquinas 5th way – nature has a purpose
- Things that lack knowledge act in a predictable way (moon will rise etc)
- Things with no knowledge seem to have a purpose (river reaching the sea)
- He uses the example to say just as an arrow is directed by an archer, god directs,
governs and supervises all natural beings in the world
P3
- Paley’s watch analogy explains how the intricacy of the world shows how there must
have been a designer
- Things without knowledge have purpose and god therefore must be guiding the
natural world
- As god has put so much care into each individual aspect of creation it shows his
goodness and ‘we have no reason to fear being overlooked, forgotten or neglected’
P4
- Tenants anthropic and aesthetic argument
- Anthropic – world is created perfectly for humans – must have been designed
- Aesthetic – beauty is not important for survival, must have been created by god so
that humans enjoy life
Outline Tennant’s teleological argument
P1
- Teleological arguments attempt to give evidence of god from observing the world
- Teleological arguments look at the outcomes and end purpose of the world – and
see how evidence for god can be explained here ‘this proof is in the most accordance
with common reason of mankind and should be respected’ – Kant
- Was written to show how the theory of evolution was not a criticism of the design
argument but rather an aid to the design argument – evolution itself seems to have a
purpose – it is constantly changing – it does not have a mind and therefore must be
guided by god – ‘it cannot be reasonably regarded as an outcome of mechanism’
P2
- Tenants anthropic argument – the world has been designed in such a way that is
perfect for human life
- If gravity was different humans would not survive
- We also have intelligence and knowledge which cannot be down to random chance
P3
- Tenants aesthetic argument – beauty as not necessary
- Beauty is not necessary for survival and therefore god must have put it there for
human enjoyment – ‘biologically superfluous accompaniment of the cosmic process’
- God wants us to flourish and to enjoy life
Come up 2x
2016 Specimen - 1C,1B,1E,2B,2E,3E,3F,4A,4B,4C,4D,
Section A
- 1C,1C Never come up – both been tested in 20
Section B markers
- 2D,3F,4A - 1F,3A
2018
Section A
- 1B, 1E - Not every theme always comes up
Section B - Spec questions are not in order
- 2B,2E,4B - Irrelevant what has and hasn’t come up
as themes are so intertwined
2019 - Unlike Judaism 20/30 markers can be
Section A from different subthemes.
- 3D,3E - Questions themselves don’t even have
Section B to be from the same subtheme (20
- 2F,4D,2BC markers)
- Irenaean type theodicy yet to be tested
2020 - What hasn’t been tested as 30 markers
Section A has come up as 20 markers
- 1B,1D
Section B
- 3B,4F,3E
2021
Section A
- 4A,4E
Section B
- 3C,1A,2A
2022
Section A
- 4D,4B
Section B
- 1E, 2E,3F
,Theme 1A
Examine Aquinas’ cosmological argument for the existence of God
P1
- Cosmological arguments are inductive arguments that try to prove the existence of
god through the use of evidence – they use a posteriori evidence
- Aquinas 1st way tries to give evidence for the existence of god through the ideas of
motion and change
- Things always change – (water has the potential to turn into ice and then it actually
does e.g.)
- Everything needs a force to change, this chain of motion can be tracked back to God
as the ‘unmoved mover’
- ‘therefore it is necessary to arrive at a first mover; put in motion by no other; and
this is god’
P2
- Everything we currently observed is an effect, and effect of a previous cause – this is
Aquinas 2nd way
- We cannot track this chain back infinitely, there cannot be infinite regress – there
mist be a ‘uncaused causer’
- ‘therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the
name god’
P3
- Aquinas 3rd way – contingency and necessity
- Contingent – dependant on others for existence; humans
- There must be something that is not dependant on others for its existence – there
must be a necessary being – God
,Outline the Kalam argument with reference to William Lane Craig
P1
- Cosmological arguments are inductive arguments that try to prove the existence of
god through the use of evidence – they use a posteriori evidence
- The kalam cosmological argument developed in the Muslim world – William lane
craig developed it as he believed that Aquinas did not give enough evidence that
infinite regress was impossible
- Craig used evidence from science to state that nothing can come into existence
without a cause, everything must have a cause
P2
- Craigs arguments come from Muslim thought – in particular Al-Ghazali
- He believed that God is the cause of everything
- When cotton burns it may look like the fire is causing the cotton to burn, but in
reality it is God causing the fire to burn the cotton
- Al- Ghazali believed that the universe must have a beginning – and a creator known
as God
- ‘every being has a cause for its beginning’ – Al-Ghazali
P3
- Craig argues that potential infinite is possible – potential infinity is the ideal limit that
is never reached – useful for mechanics and metaphorical language
- However actual infinite is impossible (example of library, infinite books, red and
black – same number of red and black books)
- As actual infinity is impossible therefore the universe must have a beginning and that
beginning must be god – physical forces could not have made the world
, Theme 1B
Compare Aquinas, Tennant and Paley's forms of the teleological argument
P1
- Teleological arguments attempt to give evidence of god from observing the world
- Teleological arguments look at the outcomes and end purpose of the world – and
see how evidence for god can be explained here ‘this proof is in the most accordance
with common reason of mankind and should be respected’ – Kant
P2
- Aquinas 5th way – nature has a purpose
- Things that lack knowledge act in a predictable way (moon will rise etc)
- Things with no knowledge seem to have a purpose (river reaching the sea)
- He uses the example to say just as an arrow is directed by an archer, god directs,
governs and supervises all natural beings in the world
P3
- Paley’s watch analogy explains how the intricacy of the world shows how there must
have been a designer
- Things without knowledge have purpose and god therefore must be guiding the
natural world
- As god has put so much care into each individual aspect of creation it shows his
goodness and ‘we have no reason to fear being overlooked, forgotten or neglected’
P4
- Tenants anthropic and aesthetic argument
- Anthropic – world is created perfectly for humans – must have been designed
- Aesthetic – beauty is not important for survival, must have been created by god so
that humans enjoy life
Outline Tennant’s teleological argument
P1
- Teleological arguments attempt to give evidence of god from observing the world
- Teleological arguments look at the outcomes and end purpose of the world – and
see how evidence for god can be explained here ‘this proof is in the most accordance
with common reason of mankind and should be respected’ – Kant
- Was written to show how the theory of evolution was not a criticism of the design
argument but rather an aid to the design argument – evolution itself seems to have a
purpose – it is constantly changing – it does not have a mind and therefore must be
guided by god – ‘it cannot be reasonably regarded as an outcome of mechanism’
P2
- Tenants anthropic argument – the world has been designed in such a way that is
perfect for human life
- If gravity was different humans would not survive
- We also have intelligence and knowledge which cannot be down to random chance
P3
- Tenants aesthetic argument – beauty as not necessary
- Beauty is not necessary for survival and therefore god must have put it there for
human enjoyment – ‘biologically superfluous accompaniment of the cosmic process’
- God wants us to flourish and to enjoy life
