β Scotland Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies
Scotland Β· SQASyllabus
Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Scotland Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studiessyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
Course and Assessment
Module overview β- How is SQA Advanced Higher RMPS structured, and what does the question paper and dissertation actually demand?The course structure: two areas of study (Philosophy of Religion mandatory plus one optional area), the 90-mark question paper of extended essays, the 50-mark dissertation, and the 140-mark total graded A to D.12 min answer β
- What skills does Advanced Higher RMPS assess, and how does it differ from Higher?The skills of Advanced Higher RMPS - analysis, evaluation, sustained argument and independent research - and how the demand rises above Higher RMPS at SCQF level 7.12 min answer β
Medical Ethics
Module overview β- Is abortion morally permissible, and how does the moral status of the embryo or foetus settle the question?Abortion: the moral status of the embryo and foetus (personhood and viability), the rights of the foetus against those of the woman, and religious, sanctity-of-life and quality-of-life arguments.14 min answer β
- What ethical theories and principles are used to reason about medical ethics, and how do they shape the conclusions?Applying ethical theories to medical ethics: utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, the sanctity of life and quality of life, and the four principles of biomedical ethics (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice).14 min answer β
- Is euthanasia morally permissible, and does a person have a right to choose the time and manner of their death?Euthanasia: active and passive, voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary, the acts and omissions distinction and double effect, autonomy and the slippery slope, and sanctity-of-life and quality-of-life arguments.14 min answer β
- Is organ transplantation morally acceptable, and how should organs be obtained and allocated?Organ transplantation: consent and the opt-in versus opt-out (presumed consent) debate, the definition of death, the allocation of scarce organs, the sale of organs, and religious and ethical arguments.13 min answer β
Philosophy of Religion
Module overview β- Does the existence of the universe show that God must exist as its first cause?The cosmological argument: the argument from causation and contingency (Aquinas's first three Ways, the Kalam version), and the main criticisms from Hume and Russell.14 min answer β
- What is the question of the existence of God, and how do philosophers argue for and against it?The existence of God: theism, atheism and agnosticism, the burden of proof, and the distinction between a priori and a posteriori arguments that frames the cosmological, teleological and ontological arguments.13 min answer β
- Can the existence of God be proved from the very idea of God alone?The ontological argument: Anselm's a priori argument from the concept of the greatest possible being, Descartes's version, and the criticisms from Gaunilo and Kant (existence is not a predicate).14 min answer β
- Does the existence of evil and suffering count against the existence of an all-good, all-powerful God?The problem of evil and suffering: the logical and evidential problems, moral and natural evil, and the main theodicies (free will, the Augustinian and Irenaean responses) with their evaluation.14 min answer β
- Does the order and apparent design of the universe show that it must have a designer?The teleological (design) argument: Paley's watchmaker and the argument from order and purpose, the fine-tuning version, and criticisms from Hume and from evolution by natural selection.14 min answer β
Religious Experience
Module overview β- What are the strongest challenges to treating religious experience as evidence for God?Challenges to religious experience: psychological and physiological explanations (Freud, neuroscience), the problem of conflicting claims across religions, and verification and the privacy of experience.14 min answer β
- What is the relationship between religious experience and religious belief, and can experience justify faith?Religious experience and belief: the role of experience in grounding and sustaining faith, public versus private evidence, the value of the effects of experience, and whether experience can justify belief for others.13 min answer β
- Can religious experience provide evidence or an argument for the existence of God?The argument from religious experience: the inductive argument that experiences count as evidence for God, Swinburne's principles of credulity and testimony, and James's empirical case.14 min answer β
- What is a religious experience, and what are its main types?The nature and types of religious experience: mystical, conversion, numinous, corporate and revelatory experiences, with key examples and the features (ineffability, noetic quality) that mark them.13 min answer β