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.
The Assignment
Module overview βMorality and Belief
Module overview β- When, if ever, is the use of force justified, and what do religious and non-religious viewpoints say about war, peace and pacifism?Religion and Conflict: the causes of war, Just War theory and its conditions, pacifism, weapons of mass destruction and modern warfare, and religious and non-religious responses.13 min answer β
- How should society respond to crime, and what do religious and non-religious viewpoints say about the aims of punishment and the pursuit of justice?Religion and Justice: the nature and causes of crime, the aims of punishment (retribution, deterrence, protection, reformation, reparation), capital punishment, and religious and non-religious responses.13 min answer β
- What do religious and non-religious viewpoints teach about relationships, sex, marriage, family and the issues that arise within them?Religion and Relationships: attitudes to sex, marriage and cohabitation, divorce, contraception, and the family, from religious and non-religious viewpoints.12 min answer β
- What do religious and non-religious viewpoints say about our duty to the environment and to the world's poorest people?Religion, Environment and Global Issues: stewardship and dominion, climate change and pollution, the use of resources, global poverty and inequality, and religious and non-religious responses.13 min answer β
- What do religious and non-religious viewpoints say about medical ethics, from the beginning to the end of life?Religion, Medicine and the Human Body: the sanctity and quality of life, abortion, euthanasia and end-of-life care, embryo research and reproductive technology, and religious and non-religious responses.13 min answer β
Religious and Philosophical Questions
Module overview β- Are our actions genuinely free, or are they determined, and what does the answer mean for moral responsibility?Free Will and Determinism: hard determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism, the bearing on moral responsibility, and religious and non-religious responses.12 min answer β
- What is a miracle, and is it ever reasonable to believe that one has happened?Miracles: definitions of a miracle, the religious significance of miracles, Hume's argument against believing in miracles, and religious and non-religious responses.12 min answer β
- Where did the universe and life come from, and can religious accounts of origins be reconciled with science?Origins: religious creation accounts, scientific accounts (the Big Bang and evolution), and the relationship between science and religion (conflict, independence and dialogue).13 min answer β
- Can the existence of God be argued for or against by reason, and how strong are the classic arguments?The Existence of God: the cosmological, teleological (design) and ontological arguments, the case from religious experience, and challenges from atheism and the problem of evil.13 min answer β
- If God is all-powerful and all-good, why is there evil and suffering, and can the believer answer the challenge?The Problem of Evil and Suffering: the logical and evidential problems, the distinction between moral and natural evil, theodicies (free will, soul-making), and religious and non-religious responses.13 min answer β
World Religion
Module overview β- What does your chosen world religion teach about the nature of the divine, God or ultimate reality, and how does that shape the rest of its teaching?The religion's beliefs about the nature of the divine, God or ultimate reality, and how those beliefs underpin its account of the human condition, the goal and the means.12 min answer β
- What does your chosen world religion teach is the goal, the ultimate aim or desired state that answers the human condition?The religion's account of the goal: the ultimate aim of the spiritual life, what it consists of, and how it answers the problem set out in the human condition.12 min answer β
- What does your chosen world religion teach about the human condition, the problem or predicament that human beings face?The religion's analysis of the human condition: the fundamental problem facing human beings, its causes, and why the religion sees it as the starting point for the spiritual life.12 min answer β
- What does your chosen world religion teach are the means, the path or practices by which a person reaches the goal?The religion's account of the means: the path, practices and disciplines by which a follower moves from the human condition towards the goal.13 min answer β