📚 Year 7 SQA Philosophy: Summer Preparatory and Bridging Course | Year 7 SQA 哲学：暑期预习与衔接课程
Starting Year 7 brings new subjects and a fresh way of thinking, and philosophy is one of the most exciting. This summer bridging course is designed to help you step confidently into SQA philosophy by exploring big questions, sharpening your reasoning, and discovering tools that will support you throughout secondary school. No prior knowledge is needed, just a curious mind ready to wonder.
进入七年级意味着接触新的科目和全新的思维方式，而哲学正是其中最令人兴奋的一门。这个暑期衔接课程旨在帮助你自信地走进 SQA 哲学课堂，通过探索大问题、锻炼推理能力并发现能支持你整个中学阶段的学习工具。你不需要任何预备知识，只需要一颗充满好奇、愿意追问的心。
1. What Is Philosophy? | 什么是哲学？
Philosophy is the love of wisdom. It is an activity rather than a fixed set of facts. Philosophers ask deep questions about existence, knowledge, morality, reason, and the human condition, and they try to answer them through careful thinking and debate.
哲学意为’爱智慧’。它是一项活动，而不是一套固定的事实。哲学家们提出关于存在、知识、道德、理性和人类处境的深刻问题，并通过审慎的思考和辩论来尝试回答这些问题。
In Year 7 SQA philosophy, you will begin by learning how to ask questions that have no single correct answer. For example, ‘What makes an action right or wrong?’ or ‘How do we know what is real?’ You will see that philosophy is less about memorising answers and more about learning how to think clearly and argue with respect.
在七年级 SQA 哲学中，你将首先学习如何提出那些没有唯一正确答案的问题。例如，’是什么决定了一个行为是对还是错？’或者’我们如何知道什么是真实的？’你会发现哲学不在于记住答案，而在于学会清晰地思考并带着尊重地辩论。
2. Asking Big Questions | 提出大问题
Philosophy begins with wonder. In your bridging course, try to collect big questions that puzzle you. These could be about everyday things: ‘Why is there something rather than nothing?’, ‘Do we have free will?’, or even ‘What is time?’.
哲学始于惊奇。在你的衔接课程中，试着收集那些让你感到困惑的大问题。它们可以是关于日常事物的：’为什么有而不是无？’、’我们有自由意志吗？’，甚至’时间是什么？’。
A good philosophical question is open-ended, invites more than one viewpoint, and pushes us to examine our own assumptions. Write down three such questions in a notebook this summer. Then, ask a friend or family member what they think and notice how different perspectives can force you to clarify your own ideas.
一个好的哲学问题是开放式的，它允许多种观点并推动我们审视自己的假设。这个夏天，在笔记本上写下三个这样的问题。然后去问一位朋友或家人他们的看法，并留意不同观点如何迫使你厘清自己的思路。
3. Logic and Reasoning | 逻辑与推理
Philosophy requires good arguments, not angry quarrels. An argument in philosophy is a set of statements where some (premises) are intended to support another (the conclusion). Learning to build and test arguments will be a core skill in Year 7.
哲学需要好的论证，而不是愤怒的争吵。一个哲学上的论证是一组陈述，其中部分陈述（前提）旨在支持另一陈述（结论）。学习构造和检验论证将是七年级的一项核心技能。
You can start practising this summer with simple deduction. For instance: ‘All humans are mortal. Socrates is human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.’ Notice how the conclusion follows logically from the premises. Try to spot weak arguments around you, such as ‘Everyone believes it, so it must be true.’ That is a logical misstep known as the bandwagon fallacy.
你可以从这个夏天开始用简单的演绎推理来练习。例如：’所有人都会死。苏格拉底是人。所以苏格拉底会死。’注意结论如何从前提中合乎逻辑地得出。试着发现身边那些薄弱的论证，比如’所有人都相信它，所以它一定是对的’。这是一个逻辑失误，被称为从众谬误。
4. Ethics: Right and Wrong | 伦理学：对与错
Ethics explores how we ought to live and what makes actions right or wrong. In SQA philosophy, you will meet questions like ‘Is it ever acceptable to lie?’, ‘What does it mean to be fair?’, and ‘Do animals have rights?’.
伦理学探究我们应当如何生活，以及什么决定了行为的对错。在 SQA 哲学中，你将面对这样的问题：’撒谎在任何时候都是不可接受的吗？’、’公平意味着什么？’以及’动物拥有权利吗？’。
Over the summer, you can warm up by reflecting on a simple ethical puzzle known as the Trolley Problem. Imagine a runaway trolley heading towards five people tied to a track. You can pull a lever to divert the trolley onto another track where only one person is tied. Is it right to pull the lever? Write down your reasons and then discuss them with someone who disagrees.
这个夏天，你可以通过思考一个简单的伦理难题——电车难题——来热身。想象一辆失控的电车正冲向五个被绑在轨道上的人。你可以拉动一个拉杆，将电车转向另一条只绑着一个人的轨道。拉动拉杆是正确的吗？写下你的理由，然后与持不同看法的人讨论。
5. Knowledge and Belief | 知识与信念
Epistemology, the theory of knowledge, asks: ‘What is knowledge?’, ‘How do we acquire it?’, and ‘Can we know anything with absolute certainty?’. When you claim to know something, what makes that belief knowledge rather than just a lucky guess?
认识论，即知识论，追问：’什么是知识？’、’我们如何获得知识？’以及’我们能绝对确定地知道任何事情吗？’。当你声称知道某事时，是什么使得那个信念成为知识，而不只是一个幸运的猜测？
A classic challenge is the Brain in a Vat thought experiment. If your brain were kept in a vat of nutrients and fed electrical signals identical to those you receive now, could you tell the difference between that simulated world and reality? This summer, start noticing how you distinguish between true belief, false belief, and justified knowledge.
一个经典的挑战是缸中之脑思想实验。如果你的大脑被放在一个营养缸中，并被输入与你当前接收的完全相同的电信号，你能区分那个模拟世界和现实吗？这个夏天，开始留意你是如何区分真实信念、错误信念和有依据的知识的。
6. The Mind and Reality | 心灵与现实
Philosophy of mind asks what consciousness is and how it relates to the physical brain. Are you merely a complex machine, or is there something more to being a person? Questions like ‘Can a robot ever truly think?’ will help you enter this area.
心灵哲学追问意识是什么，以及它与物理大脑的关系。你仅仅是一台复杂的机器，还是作为一个人存在着某些更多的东西？诸如’机器人能真正思考吗？’这类问题会帮助你进入这个领域。
This summer, try the simple exercise of describing the taste of a strawberry to someone who has never tasted one. Notice how trying to explain subjective experience (qualia) quickly pushes language to its limit. This is the kind of puzzle that shows why philosophy of mind matters.
这个夏天，尝试做一个简单的练习：向一个从未尝过草莓的人描述草莓的味道。注意一下，试图解释主观体验（感受质）如何迅速将语言逼到极致。正是这类困惑显示了心灵哲学为何重要。
7. Philosophical Skills for Year 7 | 七年级的哲学技能
In SQA philosophy, you will be assessed on your ability to analyse, evaluate, and construct arguments, not on memorising facts. The key skills include identifying assumptions, spotting contradictions, clarifying concepts, and presenting reasoned conclusions.
在 SQA 哲学中，评估的是你分析、评价和建构论证的能力，而不是对事实的记忆。关键技能包括识别假设、发现矛盾、澄清概念以及提出有理有据的结论。
| Skill | What It Means | How to Practise |
|---|---|---|
| Analysis | Breaking ideas into parts and understanding their structure. | Find a short newspaper opinion article and underline the main claim and reasons. |
| Evaluation | Judging whether an argument is strong, weak, or flawed. | Ask yourself: ‘Do these reasons really support the conclusion? What evidence is missing?’ |
| Conceptual Clarity | Defining key terms so discussion is focused. | Take a word like ‘freedom’ and write down exactly what you mean by it before debating. |
| Perspective-Taking | Seeing an issue from different angles fairly. | Argue for a position you disagree with for five minutes; note what you learn. |
8. Key Thinkers You Will Meet | 你将遇见的几位关键思想家
SQA philosophy introduces learners to a range of voices. While Year 7 starts gently, it helps to know a few names. Socrates, often called the father of Western philosophy, insisted that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’. This means we should constantly question our own beliefs.
SQA 哲学向学习者介绍一系列的声音。虽然七年级开始得温和，但了解几个名字会有帮助。苏格拉底常被称为西方哲学之父，他坚持认为’未经审视的生活是不值得过的’。这意味着我们应该不断地追问自己的信念。
Another thinker you might encounter is John Stuart Mill, who contributed to ethics with his idea that actions are right if they promote happiness and wrong if they cause suffering. Over the summer, you could search for short animated videos about Socrates or Mill to bring their ideas alive.
你可能遇见的另一位思想家是约翰·斯图尔特·密尔，他为伦理学做出了贡献，提出如果行为促进幸福则是对的，如果引起痛苦则是错的。这个夏天，你可以搜索关于苏格拉底或密尔的短篇动画视频，让他们的思想鲜活起来。
9. How to Prepare Over the Summer | 如何利用暑期预习
Practical preparation for Year 7 philosophy does not mean reading heavy textbooks. Instead, cultivate habits of curiosity. Keep a ‘wonder journal’ where you record philosophical questions as they occur to you, no matter how small.
为七年级哲学做的实际准备并不意味着去啃厚重的教科书。相反，要培养好奇的习惯。准备一本’好奇心日志’，随时记下你脑中冒出的哲学问题，无论它们多么微小。
Set aside ten minutes a day to think about a single question from your journal. Write down your initial answer, then write a counterargument against yourself. This summer habit will build the mental agility you need for class discussions and written tasks.
每天留出十分钟，思考日志中的一个问题。写下你最初的回答，然后写下一个反对自己的论证。这个夏日习惯将培养你在课堂讨论和书面任务中所需要的心智灵活性。
- Watch a philosophical film together and discuss it, using questions like ‘What does this story tell us about justice or friendship?’
- Listen to a short philosophy podcast for young people; many are freely available and under 15 minutes.
- Play a critical thinking board game that involves deduction and reasoning, such as mastermind or cooperative strategy games.
- 一起观看一部哲学电影并讨论它，使用诸如’这个故事告诉了我们关于正义或友谊的什么？’之类的问题。
- 收听一档面向年轻人的短篇哲学播客；很多都可免费获取且时长不超过15分钟。
- 玩一款批判性思维的桌游，其中涉及演绎和推理，例如猜密码或合作策略游戏。
10. Key Concepts Glossary | 关键概念词汇表
Building a working vocabulary will give you confidence before the first lesson. Familiarity with these terms helps you read and listen to philosophical content more effectively.
建立一个实用词汇表将让你在第一节课前充满信心。熟悉这些术语有助于你更有效地阅读和倾听哲学内容。
| Term | Simple Definition |
|---|---|
| Argument | A reasoned attempt to show that a claim is true by offering supporting statements. |
| Premise | A statement given as a reason for a conclusion. |
| Conclusion | The statement that the argument is trying to prove or support. |
| Ethics | The branch of philosophy that deals with moral right and wrong. |
| Free Will | The ability to make choices that are genuinely your own, not fully determined by causes. |
| Validity | In logic, an argument is valid if the conclusion follows logically from the premises. |
| Soundness | An argument is sound if it is valid and its premises are actually true. |
11. Classroom Discussion Etiquette | 课堂讨论礼仪
Philosophy thrives on respectful disagreement. In Year 7 SQA philosophy lessons, you will often participate in community of inquiry discussions. This means listening carefully, building on others’ ideas, and being willing to change your mind when evidence warrants.
哲学在尊重不同意见的氛围中蓬勃发展。在七年级 SQA 哲学课上，你会经常参与探究共同体讨论。这意味着认真倾听，在他人的想法基础上构建自己的观点，并在证据充分时愿意改变想法。
Practise this summer by having a family discussion where the rule is: before you reply, you must summarise what the previous speaker said to their satisfaction. This simple rule transforms debates into genuine conversations and directly mirrors the SQA philosophy classroom expectation.
这个夏天可以通过家庭讨论来练习，规则是：在你回应之前，你必须先让前一位发言者满意地总结他们所说的话。这条简单的规则能将辩论转变为真正的对话，并直接映射出 SQA 哲学课堂的期望。
12. Bridging to Year 7 Success | 衔接七年级的学业成功
Philosophy is not a subject where you either ‘get it’ or you don’t. Progress comes from regular small acts of thinking. The summer bridging work described here is designed to remove any anxiety about a new discipline and replace it with excitement.
哲学并非一门你’要么懂、要么不懂’的科目。进步来自日常的微小思维行为。这里描述的暑期衔接工作旨在消除你对新学科的焦虑，并代之以兴奋感。
When you walk into your first philosophy lesson, you will already have a journal full of wonderings, a toolkit of logical moves, and the confidence to say ‘I think differently because…’. That is precisely what your teacher will be looking for. Enjoy the journey.
当你走进第一节哲学课时，你已经有了一本写满好奇的日志、一套逻辑思维的工具箱，以及说出’我有不同看法，因为……’的信心。这正是你的老师所寻找的。享受这段旅程吧。
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