The aim of the Philosophy course is to enable each student to develop their capacity for philosophical inquiry and to apply this to a range of disciplines including; morality, history, science, theology, ideology, politics, mathematics, geometry and pedagogy.

The course offers students opportunities not otherwise available through the HSC syllabus as Philosophy is at the core of every human endeavour and the study of it enables students to cultivate a deep reverence and appreciation for the human being’s impulse to make sense of the world and their place in it.

Overall the course enhances senior education by framing the learning of distinct subjects within a broader conceptual framework and enabling meaningful connections to be made which is critical to the development of integrated thinking and the creation of new solutions to old problems.

CORE TOPICS:

Students will complete five Core Topics in which they will be presented with concepts, skills and questions with which to build their own structures of thought. Discussion, questioning, debating and presenting one’s own ideas in a forum situation shapes the core modes of learning in addition to writing and reflection.

The core topics aim to engage students in philosophical activity and lay down the theoretical and historical context for philosophical inquiry and critical and imaginative thinking. Through their examination of contemporary issues the layers of truth in human discourse are investigated and through questioning they are enabled to find their own truth and perceive new ideas and ways of thinking which are much needed for the future.

CORE TOPIC: The Power of Wonder

CORE TOPIC: Zeitgeist: The Spirit of our Time

CORE TOPIC: Parzival: The Search for Self

CORE TOPIC: Paths of Light and the Riddles of the Soul

CORE TOPIC: Indigenous Knowledge Systems  (including Kakadu Camp)