National Year 12 Religious Studies
Chapters: 7
1. Component 1 Section A: Philosophy of religion (part 1)
Arguments for the existence of God · Evil and suffering · Religious experience
Coming soon
2. Component 1 Section B: Ethics and religion (part 1)
Normative ethical theories · Applied ethics: life and death
- Ethics: How to Decide What Is Right – Ethics (moral philosophy) asks what we ought to do and why. Values such as honesty, kindness, fairness and respect guide choices. Three main theories help: consequences (utilitarianism, Bentham and Mill: most good for most people), duty (Kant: act on rules you could want everyone to follow; treat people as ends, never only as means) and virtue (Aristotle: build good character; virtue is the mean between extremes). Conscience is our inner sense of right and wrong. Freedom brings responsibility. Meta-ethics asks what "good" means and whether values are universal or relative. Applied ethics deals with the environment, animals, work, friendship and peace.
- Bioethics: Deciding What Is Right in Biology and Medicine – Bioethics asks whether we should do what biology and medicine now let us do. It uses four principles: autonomy (respect choice), beneficence (do good), non-maleficence (do no harm) and justice (fairness). Human dignity means a person is never only a means to an end, so informed consent is needed. Therapeutic cloning may be allowed under strict rules; reproductive human cloning is banned in most countries. Start-of-life and end-of-life questions are weighed as benefits against risks and values.
3. 2A Buddhism (Component 2 option - choose one)
Sources of wisdom and authority · Ultimate reality · Self, death and afterlife · Good conduct and key moral principles · Expressions of religious identity
Coming soon
4. 2B Christianity (Component 2 option - choose one)
Sources of wisdom and authority · God · Self, death and afterlife · Good conduct and key moral principles · Expressions of religious identity
Coming soon
5. 2C Hinduism (Component 2 option - choose one)
Sources of wisdom and authority · Ultimate reality · Self, death and afterlife · Good conduct and key moral principles · Expressions of religious identity
Coming soon
6. 2D Islam (Component 2 option - choose one)
Sources of wisdom and authority · God · Self, death and afterlife · Good conduct and key moral principles · Expressions of religious identity
Coming soon
7. 2E Judaism (Component 2 option - choose one)
Sources of wisdom and authority · God · Self, death and afterlife · Good conduct and key moral principles · Expressions of religious identity
Coming soon