§-Philosophy and Reason Q&A
QLD · QCAA← Philosophy and Reason
Philosophy and Reason Q&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every QLD Philosophy and Reason syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
Unit 3: Reason and formal logic
analyse and evaluate arguments from analogy, assessing the relevance and number of similarities and the presence of relevant disanalogies
reconstruct and map arguments from ordinary language, identifying premises, conclusions, hidden assumptions and argument structure
analyse categorical statements and syllogisms, including the four standard forms and the rules for valid syllogistic reasoning
identify and explain formal fallacies, including affirming the consequent, denying the antecedent and the undistributed middle
evaluate inductive generalisations by assessing sample size, representativeness and the dangers of hasty generalisation and biased sampling
explain Hume's problem of induction and evaluate proposed responses, including the appeal to the uniformity of nature and pragmatic justifications
explain the hypothetico-deductive method and Popper's falsificationism, including the demarcation problem and the asymmetry of confirmation and refutation
distinguish inductive from deductive reasoning and evaluate inductive arguments for strength and cogency rather than validity
explain inference to the best explanation (abduction) and evaluate hypotheses using criteria such as simplicity, explanatory scope and coherence
identify and explain common informal fallacies in arguments, including fallacies of relevance, ambiguity and presumption
explain and apply Mill's methods of causal reasoning, including agreement, difference, joint method, residues and concomitant variation
identify and distinguish between necessary and sufficient conditions and represent them using conditional statements
apply basic probabilistic reasoning to evaluate arguments, including conditional probability, base rates and common statistical fallacies
translate and symbolise propositions using logical operators, and use truth tables to test propositional arguments for validity
distinguish validity from soundness, and evaluate deductive arguments for both, using premises and conclusions
Unit 4: Moral philosophy and metaphysics
explain and evaluate the free will debate, including hard determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism, and the link to moral responsibility
explain and evaluate Kantian deontology, including the categorical imperative, the formula of universal law and the formula of humanity
evaluate the limits of state power over the individual, including Mill's harm principle and the liberty paradox
explain and evaluate metaethical positions, including moral realism, relativism, subjectivism and emotivism
explain and evaluate theories of personal identity, including the body, soul and psychological-continuity criteria
compare and evaluate rationalism and empiricism as accounts of the source of knowledge, with reference to Descartes, Locke, Hume and Kant
analyse the nature and justification of rights, including natural, legal and human rights, and the will and interest theories
explain and evaluate scepticism about the external world, including Descartes's dream and demon arguments and proposed responses
evaluate social contract theories of political authority, including the accounts of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau
explain and evaluate theories of mind, including substance dualism, physicalism and functionalism, and the problem of consciousness
compare and evaluate competing theories of distributive justice, including Rawls, Nozick and utilitarian approaches
explain and evaluate the justified true belief analysis of knowledge and the Gettier problem, including proposed responses
explain and evaluate utilitarianism, including the principle of utility, act and rule versions, and major objections
explain and evaluate Aristotelian virtue ethics, including eudaimonia, the doctrine of the mean and practical wisdom