2023 IB DP Philosophy Practice Paper with Answers

An excellent response will: 1. Identify the core philosophical issue: the mind-body problem and the criteria for personal identity (physical vs. psychological continuity). 2. Discuss key philosophical positions: Descartes' substance dualism (the self as a thinking, non-extended thing), physicalism/functionalism (the mind as a computational state of the brain), and phenomenological perspectives (such as Merleau-Ponty's emphasis on the lived body). 3. Evaluate the stimulus directly: assess whether a digital copy of memories and neural pathways preserves personal identity (Locke's psychological continuity thesis) or if identity requires physical continuity of the same organic substrate (Bernard Williams' bodily criterion). 4. Explore alternative perspectives: consider the ethical and existential implications of a digitized self (e.g., does immortality rob life of meaning?). 5. Provide a structured, coherent, and balanced argument with clear philosophical terminology.

Marks are awarded out of 25 based on the standard IB Philosophy assessment criteria: Criterion A: Expression and presentation (5 marks) - Clarity, structure, and use of philosophical vocabulary. Criterion B: Knowledge and understanding (5 marks) - Relevance and depth of knowledge regarding the mind-body problem and personal identity theories. Criterion C: Analysis (5 marks) - Identification of assumptions, critical dissection of arguments (e.g., Locke, Descartes, physicalism). Criterion D: Evaluation (5 marks) - Strength and coherence of the critical counter-arguments. Criterion E: Relevance and development of the stimulus (5 marks) - Direct engagement with the stimulus provided, keeping the discussion centered on embodiment vs. digital replication.

An excellent response will: 1. Identify the core epistemological issue: the definition of knowledge and its distinction from mere information retrieval or belief-less correctness. 2. Analyze traditional definitions of knowledge: Justified True Belief (JTB) and why belief is traditionally considered a necessary condition for knowledge. 3. Discuss the Chinese Room Argument (John Searle) to explore the distinction between syntactic manipulation (like the algorithm) and semantic understanding (intentionality). 4. Evaluate externalist epistemologies: such as reliabilism (Alvin Goldman), which might suggest that a reliable process can produce knowledge even without internalist understanding. 5. Contrast "knowing that" (propositional knowledge) with "understanding" (grasping the systematic connections between facts). 6. Present a well-structured argument assessing whether AI or non-conscious agents can truly be said to "know" anything, or if knowledge is inherently tied to consciousness and subjective agency.

Marks are awarded out of 25 based on the standard IB Philosophy assessment criteria: Criterion A: Expression and presentation (5 marks) - Clarity of writing, logical organization, and precise epistemological terminology. Criterion B: Knowledge and understanding (5 marks) - In-depth knowledge of epistemological theories (JTB, externalism, Searle's Chinese Room, intentionality). Criterion C: Analysis (5 marks) - Critical analysis of the relationship between belief, understanding, and knowledge. Criterion D: Evaluation (5 marks) - Critically weighing the strengths and weaknesses of externalism vs. internalism/intentionalism in light of modern computational technology. Criterion E: Relevance and development of the stimulus (5 marks) - Consistent integration of the algorithm/expert stimulus to ground and develop the philosophical arguments.

Introduction:
- Define the regress problem of justification: if every belief requires justification by another belief, we face an infinite regress, circularity, or arbitrary assumptions.
- Outline the two main classical responses: foundationalism (which stops the regress with basic beliefs) and coherentism (which denies the need for linear foundations, opting for a holistic web of mutual support).

Arguments for Foundationalism (and against Coherentism):
- Foundationalism (e.g., Descartes, early empiricism) provides a clear, linear structure where non-basic beliefs inherit justification from basic beliefs (e.g., sensory experience or self-evident truths).
- Critics of coherentism (like foundationalists) argue that coherentism leads to the 'isolation objection' (a highly coherent system of beliefs can be completely detached from objective reality) and fails to account for empirical input.
- Sellars' 'myth of the given' challenges foundationalism by questioning how non-conceptual experiences can justify conceptual beliefs without being beliefs themselves.

Arguments for Coherentism (and against Foundationalism):
- Coherentism (e.g., BonJour, Quine) avoids the problem of explaining how 'basic beliefs' can be justified without themselves needing further justification, which often seems arbitrary (the 'arbitrariness objection').
- Coherence is modeled as a web of belief (Quine) where beliefs are mutually supporting, reflecting how actual human cognitive systems operate.

Evaluation/Synthesis:
- Discuss attempts to bridge the gap, such as Susan Haack's 'foundherentism', which combines the empirical input of foundationalism with the mutual support of coherentism.
- Conclude by evaluating which approach offers a more robust, plausible explanation of human knowledge and epistemic justification.

Marks are awarded out of 25 according to the standard IB Philosophy assessment criteria for paper essays:

- Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks): Accurate and deep understanding of the regress problem, foundationalism (basic/non-basic beliefs), and coherentism (holistic justification, web of belief).
- Analysis (6 marks): Critical analysis of key arguments (e.g., the isolation objection, the myth of the given, the circularity objection).
- Evaluation (6 marks): Balanced and critical evaluation of the relative strengths and weaknesses of foundationalism and coherentism, potentially incorporating hybrid approaches like foundherentism.
- Clarity and Organization (7 marks): Structured, logical argument with precise philosophical terminology and a clear thesis throughout.

Introduction:
- Define consequentialism (particularly utilitarianism as advocated by Bentham, Mill, and Singer) which holds that the moral rightness of an action is determined entirely by the goodness of its outcomes.
- State the central tension: consequentialism prioritizes utility/consequences, whereas deontology (Kantian ethics) prioritizes duty/rules, and virtue ethics (Aristotle) prioritizes character.

Arguments supporting Consequentialism:
- Intuitive appeal: decision-making is oriented toward maximizing well-being and minimizing suffering (impartiality and utility).
- Adaptability and pragmatism in complex ethical situations (e.g., public policy, medical ethics).

Arguments against Consequentialism (Counter-claims):
- Deontological critique: Consequentialism fails to respect individual rights and can sanction actions that are intuitively wrong (e.g., sacrificing an innocent person for the greater good—the 'scapegoat' problem).
- Bernard Williams' integrity objection: Consequentialism demands that agents alienate themselves from their deepest personal projects and moral commitments to maximize utility.
- The demandingness objection: Utilitarianism requires constantly acting to maximize global well-being, leaving little room for supererogatory actions or personal relationships.

Evaluation/Synthesis:
- Discuss Rule Utilitarianism as an attempt to address these criticisms by incorporating general rules while keeping consequences as the ultimate standard.
- Synthesize by comparing consequentialism with Kantian duty-based ethics or Aristotelian virtue ethics to determine whether consequences alone can capture the full scope of moral life.

Marks are awarded out of 25 based on the following criteria:

- Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks): Clear, accurate representation of consequentialist theories (act and rule utilitarianism) and contrasting theories (deontology, virtue ethics).
- Analysis (6 marks): Deep critical exploration of issues such as the calculation of utility, the integrity objection, and the problem of rights/justice.
- Evaluation (6 marks): Assessment of the success of consequentialism in providing a complete and plausible ethical framework, comparing it fairly with its rivals.
- Clarity and Organization (7 marks): Logical structure, coherent flow, use of appropriate philosophical vocabulary, and a clear, well-supported conclusion.

Introduction:
- Define the central issue: does the moral character of an artwork (its ethical message, the attitudes it invites) affect its aesthetic merit?
- Define key positions: Autonomism (or radical formalism, which argues art and morality are separate domains) and Moralism/Ethicism (which argues moral flaws or merits can directly impact aesthetic value).

Arguments for Autonomism:
- Aesthetic properties (form, style, composition, harmony) are distinct from moral properties.
- Oscar Wilde's view: 'There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written.'
- The cognitive value of art often depends on its ability to explore dark or transgressive moral themes without moralizing.

Arguments for Moralism/Ethicism:
- Ethicism (e.g., Berys Gaut, Noël Carroll): If a work of art asks us to adopt an unethical perspective (e.g., to laugh at cruelty or sympathize with evil), it fails to elicit the response it seeks, which is an aesthetic failure.
- Art has a cognitive and educational purpose; moral insight is part of what makes an artwork deep and valuable.
- Real-world examples can be utilized (e.g., Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda film 'Triumph of the Will', or highly controversial literature like Nabokov's 'Lolita').

Evaluation/Synthesis:
- Evaluate moderate autonomism vs. moderate moralism.
- Determine whether some works of art are aesthetically compromised by moral flaws, or whether the 'aesthetic attitude' requires us to suspend moral judgment during appreciation.

Marks are awarded out of 25 based on standard IB rubrics:

- Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks): Thorough understanding of the concepts of aesthetic value, moral value, autonomism, moralism, and ethicism.
- Analysis (6 marks): Insightful analysis of the arguments linking or separating art and morality, supported by relevant concrete examples of artworks.
- Evaluation (6 marks): Critical assessment of the arguments, exploring how moral defects can sometimes act as aesthetic defects (or vice-versa), leading to a nuanced conclusion.
- Clarity and Organization (7 marks): High-quality organization, clear thesis statement, and precise philosophical language.

Introduction:
- Define the logical problem of evil (as formulated by J.L. Mackie): God is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient, yet evil exists. These propositions are claimed to be logically incompatible.
- Introduce the Free Will Defense, most famously formulated by Alvin Plantinga, which argues that it is logically impossible for God to create free creatures who are guaranteed never to choose evil.

Arguments for the success of the Free Will Defense:
- Plantinga's modal logic argument: If God creates free creatures (with libertarian free will), God cannot determine their choices. Therefore, even an omnipotent God cannot create a world containing moral good without the possibility of moral evil.
- This refutes the logical problem of evil by showing that the existence of God and the existence of evil are not logically inconsistent, provided that free will is a highly valuable good.

Arguments against the success of the Free Will Defense:
- Mackie's challenge: Why could an omnipotent God not create free agents who always freely choose to do the right thing?
- The problem of natural evil: The free will defense only accounts for moral evil (human action). It does not easily explain natural evil (earthquakes, disease, famine), unless one resorts to non-human free agents (e.g., demons), which many philosophers find implausible.
- Alternative theodicies: The soul-making theodicy (John Hick) may offer a more comprehensive explanation of natural evil than the free will defense alone.

Evaluation/Synthesis:
- Assess whether Plantinga successfully defeats the *logical* version of the problem, while potentially leaving the *evidential* version (the sheer quantity of evil) unanswered.
- Conclude on the overall strength of the defense as a logical tool.

Marks are awarded out of 25 based on the following criteria:

- Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks): Precise definition of the logical problem of evil and detailed knowledge of the Free Will Defense (particularly Plantinga's formulation).
- Analysis (6 marks): Critical analysis of key objections (e.g., Mackie's objection, the distinction between moral and natural evil).
- Evaluation (6 marks): Critical assessment of whether the defense successfully establishes logical compatibility, distinguishing between the logical and evidential problems of evil.
- Clarity and Organization (7 marks): Coherent layout, structured argumentative flow, and effective use of philosophical terms.

Introduction:
- Define Scientific Realism: the view that successful scientific theories provide approximately true descriptions of the world, including unobservable entities (like electrons, genes, quarks).
- Define Scientific Anti-Realism/Instrumentalism: the view that theories are useful instruments for prediction and empirical adequacy, but we should remain agnostic about the literal existence of unobservables.

Arguments for Scientific Realism:
- The 'No Miracles' Argument (Hilary Putnam): Realism is the only philosophy that does not make the empirical success and predictive power of science a miracle.
- The argument from progressive convergence: Over time, scientific theories converge on consistent descriptions of the unobservable world.

Arguments against Scientific Realism:
- The Pessimistic Meta-Induction (Larry Laudan): History shows that many highly successful scientific theories in the past (e.g., phlogiston, caloric, luminiferous ether) were eventually discarded and their unobservable entities shown not to exist. Thus, we should expect our current successful theories to face the same fate.
- Underdetermination of Theory by Evidence (Duhem-Quine): Multiple incompatible theories can explain the same observational data equally well.
- Bas van Fraassen's Constructive Empiricism: Science aims for 'empirical adequacy' (describing observable phenomena), not truth about unobservables.

Evaluation/Synthesis:
- Consider compromise positions like Structural Realism (which argues we should be realists about the mathematical structure/relations of theories, but not necessarily about the nature of the entities themselves).
- Conclude with a justified stance on whether scientific realism or anti-realism provides a more compelling account of scientific success.

Marks are awarded out of 25 based on the following criteria:

- Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks): Clear, precise grasp of the scientific realism debate, including key terms like unobservables, empirical adequacy, and instrumentalism.
- Analysis (6 marks): Thorough analysis of Putnam's 'No Miracles' argument and Laudan's 'Pessimistic Meta-Induction'.
- Evaluation (6 marks): Critical evaluation of structural realism, constructive empiricism, and the limits of scientific knowledge.
- Clarity and Organization (7 marks): Well-structured essay with clear philosophical transitions and terminology.

Introduction:
- Define political authority and legitimacy: the state's claimed right to rule and the citizen's corresponding obligation to obey.
- Introduce social contract theory as a foundational framework for justifying this authority based on the consent of the governed.

Arguments for Social Contract Theory:
- Thomas Hobbes: Authority is justified to escape the 'state of nature' (a war of all against all) where life is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.' Security requires absolute sovereignty.
- John Locke: Authority is justified to protect natural rights (life, liberty, estate). Legitimacy is contingent upon the protection of these rights, establishing a right to revolution.
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Legitimacy rests on the 'general will' which allows citizens to remain free while obeying laws they have helped write.

Arguments against Social Contract Theory (Critiques):
- The Anarchist challenge (e.g., Robert Paul Wolff, A. John Simmons): No actual historical contract was ever signed; tacit or hypothetical consent is not morally binding. Therefore, state authority is illegitimate.
- Communitarian critique (e.g., Michael Sandel): Social contract theory presupposes an unrealistic, atomistic conception of human beings (the 'unencumbered self') detached from their social context.
- Feminist and racial critiques (e.g., Carole Pateman's 'The Sexual Contract' or Charles Mills' 'The Racial Contract'): The social contract is an exclusionary myth that reinforces structures of domination.

Evaluation/Synthesis:
- Synthesize whether hypothetical consent (such as John Rawls' 'veil of ignorance') can rescue the social contract model in modern political philosophy.
- Conclude by assessing whether the social contract remains a viable justification for state authority or if it fails to ground political obligation.

Marks are awarded out of 25 based on the following criteria:

- Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks): Detailed understanding of at least two social contract theorists (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Rawls) and major critical perspectives (anarchist, communitarian, feminist, racial contract theorists).
- Analysis (6 marks): Deep analysis of the nature of consent (express, tacit, hypothetical) and the transition from the state of nature to civil society.
- Evaluation (6 marks): Critical assessment of the validity of the social contract as a source of political legitimacy and moral obligation.
- Clarity and Organization (7 marks): Excellent structure, coherent progression of arguments, and precise philosophical vocabulary.

Introduction:
- Locate the question in meta-ethics, specifically the debate between cognitivism (moral claims express beliefs that can be true or false) and non-cognitivism (moral claims express non-cognitive attitudes like emotions or prescriptions).
- Define Emotivism (often called the 'Boo/Hurrah' theory, championed by A.J. Ayer and C.L. Stevenson) as the view that moral judgments merely express feelings and have no objective truth value.

Arguments for Emotivism/Non-Cognitivism:
- The Argument from Relativity (Mackie): The existence of deep, unresolved moral disagreements across cultures suggests moral values are subjective reflections of emotional attitudes rather than objective facts.
- Moral Motivation: Beliefs alone cannot motivate action, but emotions and desires can. Since moral judgments motivate us, they must be expressions of emotions/desires rather than cognitive beliefs (Humean psychology).
- Occam's Razor: It avoids postulating 'queer' moral facts or non-natural properties in the universe.

Arguments against Emotivism/Non-Cognitivism (Counter-claims):
- The Frege-Geach Problem: Moral terms behave logically in unasserted contexts (e.g., 'If lying is wrong, then getting your little brother to lie is wrong'). If 'lying is wrong' just means 'Boo lying!', the conditional sentence makes no sense.
- The undermining of rational moral discourse: If moral judgments are just emotional expressions, genuine moral disagreement is reduced to a shouting match or manipulation rather than a rational debate.
- Moral Realism/Cognitivism responses: Intuitively, we treat moral statements as true or false (e.g., 'Torturing innocents is wrong'). Realists argue moral properties are objective, either natural (ethical naturalism) or non-natural (intuitionism).

Evaluation/Synthesis:
- Consider R.M. Hare's Prescriptivism as an attempt to preserve the logic of moral discourse within a non-cognitivist framework.
- Conclude by evaluating whether non-cognitivism adequately explains how we actually use and experience moral language.

Marks are awarded out of 25 based on the following criteria:

- Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks): Clear understanding of meta-ethical terminology (cognitivism, non-cognitivism, emotivism, realism, subjectivism).
- Analysis (6 marks): Detailed analysis of arguments for emotivism (argument from relativity, motivational internalism) and arguments against (Frege-Geach problem, the loss of rational moral debate).
- Evaluation (6 marks): Critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of emotivism relative to moral realism or prescriptivism.
- Clarity and Organization (7 marks): High-level structure, logical coherence, and correct use of philosophical terminology.

Introduction:
- Define external world skepticism: the philosophical view that we cannot know anything about a mind-independent physical world because we cannot rule out scenarios like Descartes' Evil Demon, the Brain in a Vat, or the Matrix.
- Outline the standard skeptical argument: (1) If I know that P (some external world proposition), I must know that I am not a Brain in a Vat. (2) I do not know that I am not a Brain in a Vat. (3) Therefore, I do not know P.

Skeptical Arguments and Their Strength:
- Descartes' First Meditation: Dream argument and the Evil Demon hypothesis show the vulnerability of sensory beliefs to global doubt.
- The strength of the skeptic's position: it relies on a highly plausible principle of closure (if I know P, and P entails Q, I must know Q).

Responses to Skepticism:
- René Descartes: Foundationalist response. He rebuilds knowledge from the cogito ('I think, therefore I am') to the existence of a non-deceiving God, which guarantees the reliability of clear and distinct perceptions.
- G.E. Moore: Common-sense response. He argues that we can know common-sense propositions (e.g., 'Here is one hand') with greater certainty than we can know the premises of the skeptic's abstract philosophical argument.
- Immanuel Kant: Transcendental idealism. He argues that the external world of appearances (the phenomenal world) is constructed by the human mind's cognitive faculties, so we can have knowledge of it, while the 'noumenal' world remains unknowable.
- Contextualism (e.g., David Lewis): The standards for 'knowledge' are relative to the context. In everyday life, the skeptical hypothesis is irrelevant; it only becomes relevant in philosophical contexts.

Evaluation/Synthesis:
- Evaluate whether Moore's common-sense dogmatism begs the question against the skeptic, or if Descartes' theological solution is circular (the Cartesian Circle).
- Conclude by assessing whether we must accept skepticism, embrace pragmatism, or adopt a contextualist view of knowledge.

Marks are awarded out of 25 based on standard IB Philosophy criteria:

- Knowledge and Understanding (6 marks): Excellent understanding of external world skepticism, the closure principle, and major responses (Descartes, Moore, Kant, or contextualism).
- Analysis (6 marks): Detailed analysis of the skeptical argument and the mechanics of the various philosophical refutations.
- Evaluation (6 marks): Critical evaluation of the success of these responses, examining whether any of them successfully defeat the skeptic without circularity or dogmatism.
- Clarity and Organization (7 marks): Coherent flow, structured presentation of arguments, and precise use of epistemological concepts.

An excellent response should: 1. Define foundationalism, distinguishing between classical and modern/moderate forms, and outline the structure of knowledge it proposes (basic vs. non-basic beliefs). 2. Detail the key criticism: Sellars' 'Myth of the Given' and the Münchhausen Trilemma (or Agrippa's Trilemma), which asserts that basic beliefs cannot be justified without relying on other beliefs (regress), assuming them without justification (dogmatism/arbitrariness), or reasoning in a circle. 3. Discuss the Cartesian foundationalist approach using clear and distinct ideas and its vulnerability to the Cartesian Circle. 4. Analyze coherentist alternatives (such as Laurence BonJour or Donald Davidson) which argue that beliefs are justified by their systemic coherence rather than secure foundations. 5. Discuss infinitist alternatives (Peter Klein) which embrace the infinite regress. 6. Explore foundationalist responses, such as reliabilism/externalism (Alvin Goldman), which bypasses the demand for subjective justification by focusing on reliable belief-producing mechanisms, or reformulating basic beliefs as prima facie justified (Michael Huemer's phenomenal conservatism). 7. Provide a balanced evaluation of whether foundationalism can survive these critiques or if it inevitably succumbs to arbitrariness.

Marks are allocated across four assessment criteria: Criterion A: Focus and Structure (5 marks) - Evaluates the clarity, organization, and relevance of the essay's structure. Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding (10 marks) - Assesses the accurate use of philosophical terminology, theories (foundationalism, coherentism), and thinkers (Descartes, Sellars, BonJour). Criterion C: Discussion and Analysis (6 marks) - Evaluates the depth of critical arguments against foundationalism, such as the regress problem and the Myth of the Given. Criterion D: Evaluation (4 marks) - Measures the quality of the final judgment and the student's ability to weigh opposing perspectives critically.

An excellent response should: 1. Define the control principle (the idea that we are only morally responsible for what is within our control) and introduce the concept of moral luck as its primary challenge. 2. Explore Thomas Nagel's four categories of moral luck: resultant luck (luck in how things turn out, e.g., the successful vs. unsuccessful drunk driver), circumstantial luck (luck in the situations one faces), constitutive luck (luck in who one is, temperament, inclinations), and causal luck (how antecedent circumstances determine actions). 3. Contrast this with Immanuel Kant's view of the 'good will' which shines like a jewel regardless of its efficacy or consequences. 4. Analyze the implications of moral luck for deontological and consequentialist ethical frameworks. 5. Examine defenses against moral luck: the epistemic view (we judge based on results only because we cannot know internal intentions, but actual moral worth is unaffected), or the revisionist view (we must accept that moral responsibility is much more limited than we assume). 6. Discuss the virtue ethics perspective, where luck is integrated into the ancient Greek concept of eudaimonia and flourishing (as discussed by Bernard Williams and Martha Nussbaum). 7. Conclude with a clear evaluation of whether moral luck truly undermines moral responsibility or if our practices of praise and blame can be salvageably reconstructed.

Marks are allocated across four assessment criteria: Criterion A: Focus and Structure (5 marks) - Clear focus on the tension between the control principle and moral luck throughout the essay. Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding (10 marks) - Accurate explanation of Nagel's categories, Kantian ethics, and moral responsibility. Criterion C: Discussion and Analysis (6 marks) - Rigorous examination of the arguments for and against the existence of moral luck. Criterion D: Evaluation (4 marks) - Coherent, well-argued final position on the impact of moral luck on moral practices.

An excellent response should: 1. Define the core debate between autonomism (radical and moderate) and moralism (radical and moderate/ethicism). 2. Explain radical autonomism (e.g., Oscar Wilde, Clive Bell), which argues that art exists for its own sake and that moral categories are entirely inapplicable to aesthetic objects. 3. Detail radical moralism (historically associated with Plato or Tolstoy), which asserts that the primary value of art is moral, and works that promote bad morals are aesthetically defective. 4. Examine moderate moralism (Noël Carroll) and ethicism (Berys Gaut), which suggest that a work's moral defects can be aesthetic defects if they prevent the audience from engaging with the work as intended (e.g., if a moral flaw causes an attitude of disgust that disrupts the aesthetic experience). 5. Present counterarguments, such as cognitive autonomism, which suggests we can imaginatively engage with immoral perspectives (imaginative resistance) without it harming the artwork's value. 6. Provide contemporary or classical examples (e.g., Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will, or controversial literature) to anchor the theoretical arguments. 7. Synthesize these views to evaluate whether a complete separation is philosophically tenable.

Marks are allocated across four assessment criteria: Criterion A: Focus and Structure (5 marks) - Structured discussion directly addressing the autonomy vs. moralism debate. Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding (10 marks) - Proper usage of concepts (autonomism, ethicism, imaginative resistance) and philosophers (Gaut, Carroll, Wilde). Criterion C: Discussion and Analysis (6 marks) - Critical analysis of how moral flaws might impede or enhance aesthetic experience. Criterion D: Evaluation (4 marks) - A well-supported conclusion on the nature of the relationship between aesthetic and moral values.

An excellent response should: 1. Define both challenges clearly: the problem of evil (logical and evidential, using J.L. Mackie and William Rowe) and the problem of divine hiddenness (John Schellenberg's premise that a perfectly loving God would prevent reasonable non-belief). 2. Analyze the structure of Schellenberg's argument: a perfectly loving God wants a personal relationship with all capable creatures; relationship requires belief in God's existence; therefore, God would make His existence clear to anyone open to belief; yet, reasonable non-belief exists; thus, a perfectly loving God does not exist. 3. Contrast this with the evidential problem of evil, which focuses on intense, seemingly pointless suffering (e.g., Rowe's fawn in the forest). 4. Discuss theistic responses to both problems: for evil, the Free Will Defense (Plantinga) and Soul-making Theodicy (Hick); for hiddenness, the value of human cognitive freedom, the dangers of coercive divine presence, and John Hick's concept of 'epistemic distance.' 5. Evaluate the relative strengths: some philosophers argue hiddenness is more fundamental because it directly attacks the relational nature of God, whereas the problem of evil can sometimes be framed as a necessary byproduct of a law-governed universe. 6. Conclude with a reasoned judgment on which challenge poses the more robust philosophical problem for theism.

Marks are allocated across four assessment criteria: Criterion A: Focus and Structure (5 marks) - Comparative structure focusing on hiddenness versus evil. Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding (10 marks) - Accurate representation of Schellenberg's argument and the logical/evidential problem of evil. Criterion C: Discussion and Analysis (6 marks) - Deep analysis of theodicies and the concept of reasonable non-belief. Criterion D: Evaluation (4 marks) - Critically justified conclusion comparing the two arguments.

An excellent response should: 1. Introduce the debate between scientific realism (the view that successful science provides approximately true descriptions of both observable and unobservable aspects of the world) and anti-realism. 2. Present Hilary Putnam's 'No Miracles' argument as the primary defense of realism. 3. Detail Larry Laudan's 'Pessimistic Meta-Induction' argument against realism, listing historically successful but now rejected theories (e.g., caloric theory, phlogiston, luminiferous ether) to show that empirical success does not guarantee truth. 4. Analyze Bas van Fraassen's constructive empiricism, which argues that the goal of science is not truth but empirical adequacy (saving the appearances), meaning we should remain agnostic about unobservables. 5. Introduce Structural Realism (John Worrall) as a compromise that attempts to save the 'no miracles' argument while acknowledging the pessimistic meta-induction by arguing that mathematical structure, rather than ontology, is preserved across theory change. 6. Critically evaluate whether structural realism or constructive empiricism provides a more coherent account of scientific progress. 7. Conclude with a clear stance on whether scientific success justifies belief in unobservable entities.

Marks are allocated across four assessment criteria: Criterion A: Focus and Structure (5 marks) - Systematic essay addressing the connection between scientific success and realism. Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding (10 marks) - Accurate explanation of realism, constructive empiricism, pessimistic induction, and structural realism. Criterion C: Discussion and Analysis (6 marks) - Rigorous debate over the status of unobservables and historical scientific shifts. Criterion D: Evaluation (4 marks) - Coherent evaluation of which position offers the most plausible epistemology of science.

An excellent response should: 1. Define political authority and political legitimacy, explaining the moral duty to obey the law. 2. Outline John Locke's consent theory, distinguishing between explicit consent (which binds absolutely) and tacit consent (gained by walking on the highways or enjoying state benefits). 3. Present David Hume's classic critique of tacit consent, arguing that poor citizens cannot realistically choose to leave their state, making the idea of 'voluntary' consent an illusion. 4. Examine John Rawls's constructivist approach to consent via hypothetical contract theory (the veil of ignorance) as a modern alternative. 5. Explore philosophical anarchism (e.g., Robert Paul Wolff), which argues that individual autonomy is incompatible with the state's claim to authority, meaning no state is legitimate. 6. Discuss alternative, non-consent justifications of legitimacy, such as utilitarianism (the state is legitimate because it maximizes overall well-being) or the principle of fairness/reciprocity (H.L.A. Hart). 7. Conclude with a critical evaluation of whether consent remains a necessary condition for political legitimacy, or if alternative frameworks provide a better justification.

Marks are allocated across four assessment criteria: Criterion A: Focus and Structure (5 marks) - Balanced and well-structured analysis of consent theory vs. alternative accounts of legitimacy. Criterion B: Knowledge and Understanding (10 marks) - Sophisticated use of political philosophers (Locke, Hume, Rawls, Wolff). Criterion C: Discussion and Analysis (6 marks) - Critical evaluation of the limits of tacit consent and the strength of the anarchist critique. Criterion D: Evaluation (4 marks) - A clear and philosophically sound conclusion on the true basis of political legitimacy.