§-Philosophy and Reason syllabus

QLD · QCAA← Philosophy and Reason

Philosophy and Reason syllabus, dot point by dot point

Every dot point in the QLD Philosophy and Reason syllabus, in syllabus order, with a focused answer for each. Open any dot point for the answer, exam-style questions and links to related points.

Unit 3: Reason and formal logic

Unit overview →

Which errors of reasoning come purely from an argument's form, regardless of what it is about?

identify and explain formal fallacies, including affirming the consequent, denying the antecedent and the undistributed middle

What are informal fallacies, and how do we identify them when analysing real arguments?

identify and explain common informal fallacies in arguments, including fallacies of relevance, ambiguity and presumption

What is the difference between a necessary and a sufficient condition, and why does it matter for argument?

identify and distinguish between necessary and sufficient conditions and represent them using conditional statements

When several hypotheses could explain the evidence, what justifies inferring the best one as true?

explain inference to the best explanation (abduction) and evaluate hypotheses using criteria such as simplicity, explanatory scope and coherence

How does science test its theories, and what marks the boundary between science and non-science?

explain the hypothetico-deductive method and Popper's falsificationism, including the demarcation problem and the asymmetry of confirmation and refutation

What makes an inductive argument strong, and how does inductive support differ from the certainty of deduction?

distinguish inductive from deductive reasoning and evaluate inductive arguments for strength and cogency rather than validity

How do we tell whether an argument is valid, and when does validity guarantee a true conclusion?

distinguish validity from soundness, and evaluate deductive arguments for both, using premises and conclusions

Can our reliance on induction be rationally justified, or does Hume's argument show that it cannot?

explain Hume's problem of induction and evaluate proposed responses, including the appeal to the uniformity of nature and pragmatic justifications

How do we reason from observation to a cause, and what are Mill's methods for discovering causal connections?

explain and apply Mill's methods of causal reasoning, including agreement, difference, joint method, residues and concomitant variation

How do we extract a clear argument from messy ordinary prose so that we can evaluate it fairly?

reconstruct and map arguments from ordinary language, identifying premises, conclusions, hidden assumptions and argument structure

How should evidence change what we believe, and why do people reason so badly about probabilities?

apply basic probabilistic reasoning to evaluate arguments, including conditional probability, base rates and common statistical fallacies

How do we symbolise propositions and use truth tables to test arguments for validity?

translate and symbolise propositions using logical operators, and use truth tables to test propositional arguments for validity

How do categorical statements combine into syllogisms, and how do we test a syllogism for validity?

analyse categorical statements and syllogisms, including the four standard forms and the rules for valid syllogistic reasoning

When does reasoning from one case to a similar case give a strong conclusion, and what makes an analogy break down?

analyse and evaluate arguments from analogy, assessing the relevance and number of similarities and the presence of relevant disanalogies

When does evidence from a sample justify a conclusion about a whole population, and what makes a generalisation hasty or biased?

evaluate inductive generalisations by assessing sample size, representativeness and the dangers of hasty generalisation and biased sampling

Unit 4: Social and political philosophy

Unit overview →

Is the state necessary, or can people live well without government?

Explain and evaluate anarchism as a political philosophy, including its rejection of state authority, its key thinkers and the main objections to it

Are some actions right or wrong in themselves, regardless of their consequences, because of the duties reason imposes?

explain and evaluate Kantian deontology, including the categorical imperative, the formula of universal law and the formula of humanity

How far should government power extend over the individual?

Explain and evaluate libertarianism as a political philosophy, including self-ownership, property rights and the case for a minimal state

Where does knowledge come from, reason or experience, and are there ideas we have independently of the senses?

compare and evaluate rationalism and empiricism as accounts of the source of knowledge, with reference to Descartes, Locke, Hume and Kant

Can we know that the external world exists, or could all our experience be a systematic illusion?

explain and evaluate scepticism about the external world, including Descartes's dream and demon arguments and proposed responses

Can individual liberty and social justice be combined, and what should the state do to secure both?

Explain and evaluate social liberalism as a political philosophy, including positive liberty, equality of opportunity and the role of the state in securing justice

Should the means of production be owned in common, and what would that mean for freedom and equality?

Explain and evaluate socialism as a political philosophy, including collective ownership, critiques of capitalism, and communism as a form of socialism

Is the right action always the one that produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number?

explain and evaluate utilitarianism, including the principle of utility, act and rule versions, and major objections

If every event is caused by prior events, can our choices be free, and can we be morally responsible?

explain and evaluate the free will debate, including hard determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism, and the link to moral responsibility

How should a society distribute benefits and burdens fairly, and what does justice require?

compare and evaluate competing theories of distributive justice, including Rawls, Nozick and utilitarian approaches

What makes you the same person over time, despite the constant change in your body and mind?

explain and evaluate theories of personal identity, including the body, soul and psychological-continuity criteria

What is the mind, and how does it relate to the physical brain and body?

explain and evaluate theories of mind, including substance dualism, physicalism and functionalism, and the problem of consciousness

Should ethics ask what kind of person to be rather than what rules to follow or what outcomes to produce?

explain and evaluate Aristotelian virtue ethics, including eudaimonia, the doctrine of the mean and practical wisdom

What is knowledge, and is true justified belief enough to count as knowing?

explain and evaluate the justified true belief analysis of knowledge and the Gettier problem, including proposed responses

Are moral claims objectively true or false, or are they expressions of feeling, convention or culture?

explain and evaluate metaethical positions, including moral realism, relativism, subjectivism and emotivism

How do anarchism, libertarianism, social liberalism and socialism differ, and how should they be compared in an extended response?

Compare and evaluate anarchism, libertarianism, social liberalism and socialism on authority, liberty, property, equality and the role of the state

What are rights, where do they come from, and how can claims to rights be justified?

analyse the nature and justification of rights, including natural, legal and human rights, and the will and interest theories

Why do humans need government, and how do social contract theories justify the authority of the state?

evaluate social contract theories of political authority, including the accounts of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau

How far may the state and society legitimately restrict individual liberty?

evaluate the limits of state power over the individual, including Mill's harm principle and the liberty paradox