📚 Year 7 WJEC Philosophy: Core Knowledge Overview | Year 7 WJEC 哲学：核心知识点梳理
Philosophy in Year 7 invites you to think deeply about life’s biggest questions. What does it mean to know something? How should we treat others? Does God exist? This article brings together the core ideas you will explore in the WJEC curriculum, from the nature of reality and knowledge to ethics, religion, and the self. Use this as your revision companion to strengthen your understanding and sharpen your critical thinking.
七年级哲学课程邀请你深入思考人生中最重要的问题。知道某件事意味着什么？我们应该如何对待他人？上帝存在吗？本文梳理了你在 WJEC 课程中将要探索的核心概念，从实在、知识的本质到伦理学、宗教和自我。把这当作你的复习指南，帮助你加深理解并提升批判性思维能力。
1. What Is Philosophy? | 什么是哲学？
Philosophy means ‘love of wisdom’ in Greek. It is not about accepting answers without question, but about asking ‘why?’ and ‘how do we know?’ Philosophy helps us examine our beliefs, challenge assumptions, and search for truth using reason and argument. In Year 7, you begin by learning that philosophy is a conversation that has been going on for thousands of years.
哲学在希腊语中意为’爱智慧’。它并不是不加质疑地接受答案，而是追问’为什么？’以及’我们如何知道？’哲学帮助我们审视自己的信念，挑战假设，并运用理性和论证寻找真理。在七年级，你首先要认识到哲学是一场延续了数千年的对话。
Instead of relying on experiments like science, philosophers use thought experiments, logic, and analysis. A famous example is Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, which asks whether what we see is truly real.
与科学依靠实验不同，哲学家使用思想实验、逻辑和分析。一个著名的例子是柏拉图的洞穴寓言，它质疑我们所见是否真实。
When you ask ‘What is justice?’ or ‘How should I live?’, you are already doing philosophy. The subject encourages curiosity and open-mindedness, essential tools for exploring WJEC topics.
当你问’什么是正义？’或’我应该如何生活？’时，你已经在进行哲学思考了。这门学科鼓励好奇心和开放心态，它们是探索 WJEC 课题所必需的工具。
2. Asking Philosophical Questions | 提出哲学问题
Not all questions are philosophical. A question like ‘What time is lunch?’ has a factual answer. But ‘What is time?’ opens a philosophical puzzle. WJEC encourages you to distinguish between empirical questions, which can be answered by observation, and philosophical questions, which require reasoning about concepts such as truth, existence, and value.
并非所有问题都是哲学问题。像’午饭几点？’这样的问题有一个事实性的答案。但’什么是时间？’则打开了一个哲学之谜。WJEC 鼓励你区分经验性问题（通过观察即可回答）和哲学问题（需要对真理、存在和价值等概念进行推理）。
Philosophical questions are often open-ended and do not have a single correct answer. For instance, ‘What makes an action right or wrong?’ invites multiple perspectives, from utilitarianism to duty-based ethics. Learning to ask such questions trains your mind to think beyond surface appearances.
哲学问题通常是开放式的，没有唯一正确的答案。例如，’是什么让一个行为对或错？’这一问题会引出从功利主义到义务伦理学的多种视角。学会提出这样的问题能训练你的思维超越表象。
In class, you will practise formulating philosophical questions using ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ prompts. This skill is foundational for all the topics that follow.
在课堂上，你将练习使用’什么’、’为什么’和’如何’来构建哲学问题。这一技能是后续所有课题的基础。
3. Reality and Appearance | 实在与表象
One of the earliest philosophical puzzles is whether the world is as it appears. The Greek philosopher Plato described prisoners in a cave who mistake shadows for reality. When one prisoner escapes and sees the sun, he realises that the shadows were mere illusions. This allegory suggests that reality may be very different from how we perceive it.
最早的哲学谜题之一是：世界是否如其表象一般？希腊哲学家柏拉图描述了一群洞穴中的囚徒，他们把影子误认为实在。当一名囚徒逃脱并看见太阳时，他意识到那些影子只是幻觉。这个寓言暗示，实在可能与我们感知的截然不同。
Other thinkers, like Descartes, asked whether a powerful demon could deceive us about everything we experience. Today, the ‘brain in a vat’ thought experiment updates this idea: could all our experiences be generated by a computer? While these scenarios sound extreme, they push us to define what counts as reliable knowledge.
其他思想家如笛卡尔则问道：是否可能有一个强大的恶魔在欺骗我们的一切感受？今天，’缸中之脑’的思想实验更新了这一想法：我们所有的体验是否可能由计算机生成？尽管这些情景听起来很极端，但它们促使我们定义什么才算可靠的知识。
Exploring the gap between appearance and reality helps you understand why philosophers care so much about evidence, perception, and truth.
探索表象与实在之间的差距，能让你明白为什么哲学家如此重视证据、知觉和真理。
4. What Can We Know? | 我们能知道什么？
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. It asks: what is knowledge, and how do we acquire it? The classic definition states that knowledge is ‘justified true belief’. You believe something, it is true, and you have good reasons for believing it. But is that enough? The philosopher Edmund Gettier showed cases where justified true belief still does not seem like real knowledge, sparking debate.
认识论是哲学中关注知识的分支。它问道：什么是知识，我们如何获得知识？经典定义认为，知识是’得到辩护的真信念’。你相信某件事，它是真的，并且你有充分的理由相信它。但这足够吗？哲学家埃德蒙・葛梯尔展示了一些案例，其中得到辩护的真信念似乎仍不算真正的知识，从而引发了争论。
We gain knowledge through different sources: perception, reason, testimony, and memory. Empiricists like John Locke argue that all knowledge comes from sensory experience, while rationalists like Descartes claim that some knowledge is innate or known through reason alone. WJEC encourages you to evaluate these positions.
我们通过不同来源获取知识：感知、理性、证词和记忆。经验主义者如约翰・洛克主张一切知识都来自感官经验，而理性主义者如笛卡尔则声称有些知识是与生俱来或仅凭理性即可知晓。WJEC 鼓励你评估这些立场。
A useful question to ask is: ‘How certain am I?’ In many everyday situations, we act on knowledge that is probable rather than absolutely certain. Understanding the limits of knowledge keeps philosophical inquiry humble and honest.
一个有益的问题是：’我有多大把握？’在许多日常情境中，我们依据虽然并非绝对确定、但很可能为真的知识来行动。了解知识的限度能让哲学探究保持谦逊和诚实。
5. The Existence of God | 上帝的存在
Philosophy of religion examines questions about God, faith, and belief. One key debate is whether God’s existence can be proved by reason. The design argument (teleological argument) points to the order and complexity of the universe as evidence of a designer. William Paley compared the world to a watch: if you find a watch, you assume a watchmaker; similarly, the universe suggests a divine creator.
宗教哲学探讨关于上帝、信仰和信念的问题。一个关键论争是：上帝的存在能否通过理性证明？设计论证（目的论论证）指出，宇宙的秩序和复杂性证明了设计者的存在。威廉・佩利将世界比作一只手表：你发现一只表，就会推断有一位制表师；同样，宇宙也暗示着一位神圣的创造者。
In contrast, the problem of evil challenges the existence of an all-powerful, all-loving God. If God is perfectly good, why does suffering exist? This dilemma raises deep questions about free will, moral growth, and the nature of divinity. Atheists, agnostics, and theists each offer different responses.
与此相反，恶的问题对全能、全爱的上帝存在提出了挑战。如果上帝是至善的，为什么苦难会存在？这一两难处境提出了关于自由意志、道德成长和神性本质的深刻问题。无神论者、不可知论者和有神论者各自给出了不同的回答。
As a Year 7 student, you are not required to decide who is right. Instead, focus on understanding the arguments, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and forming your own reasoned viewpoint.
作为七年级学生，你不需要决定谁对谁错。相反，要注重理解论证，识别其长处和弱点，并形成你自己有理有据的观点。
6. Ethics: Right and Wrong | 伦理学：对与错
Ethics, or moral philosophy, explores how we ought to live. WJEC introduces you to several ethical theories. Utilitarianism, associated with Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, claims that the right action is the one that produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number. It focuses on consequences.
伦理学，或称道德哲学，探讨我们应当如何生活。WJEC 向你介绍几种伦理理论。与杰里米・边沁和约翰・斯图尔特・密尔相关的功利主义主张，正确的行为是为最大多数人带来最大幸福的行为。它关注后果。
Deontological ethics, developed by Immanuel Kant, argues that some actions are right or wrong in themselves, regardless of consequences. For Kant, we must act according to rules that could become universal laws, and never treat people merely as a means to an end.
由伊曼努尔・康德发展的义务论伦理学则认为，某些行为本身就是对或错的，无论后果如何。对康德来说，我们必须按照可以成为普遍法则的规则行动，并且绝不能仅仅把人当作手段来利用。
Virtue ethics, drawing on Aristotle, shifts the focus from rules or outcomes to the character of the moral agent. A virtuous person possesses traits like courage, honesty, and compassion, and acts wisely in different situations. Throughout the course, you will apply these frameworks to real-life dilemmas such as lying, stealing, and helping others.
美德伦理学借鉴了亚里士多德，把焦点从规则或结果转移到道德行为者的品格上。一个有德性的人具备勇气、诚实和同情等品质，并在不同情境中明智地行动。在整个课程中，你将把这些框架运用到说谎、偷窃和帮助他人等现实困境中。
7. Personal Identity and the Self | 人格同一性与自我
What makes you the same person over time? Your body changes, your memories shift, yet you feel you are the same ‘you’. This question of personal identity is central to philosophy. John Locke proposed that memory and consciousness are the keys: you are the same person as long as you can remember your past thoughts and actions.
是什么让你历经时间仍然是同一个人？你的身体变化，你的记忆流转，但你感觉自己是同一个’你’。人格同一性问题在哲学中至关重要。约翰・洛克提出，记忆和意识才是关键：只要你能记得过去的思想和行动，你就是同一个人。
Other thinkers, like Derek Parfit, used thought experiments about teleportation or brain transplants to examine whether identity could survive physical disruption. These puzzles are not just intellectual games; they touch on legal responsibility, the concept of the soul, and what it means to be human.
其他思想家如德里克・帕菲特，运用关于远程传送或大脑移植的思想实验来考察同一性能否在身体中断后继续存在。这些谜题并非只是智力游戏；它们涉及法律责任、灵魂概念以及作为人意味着什么。
In WJEC lessons, you might be asked to reflect on your own sense of self and consider whether the mind is separate from the brain. This links to broader debates about materialism and dualism.
在 WJEC 课堂上，你可能会被要求反思自己的自我感，并思考心灵是否独立于大脑。这与关于唯物主义和二元论的更广泛争论相连。
8. Free Will and Responsibility | 自由意志与责任
Do we choose our actions, or are they determined by causes beyond our control? The free will debate has huge implications for morality and the law. Hard determinists argue that every event has a cause, including human decisions, so we are not truly free. If this is correct, can we be held responsible for our actions?
我们是选择自己的行动，还是被我们无法控制的原因所决定？自由意志的争论对道德和法律有着重大影响。强硬决定论者认为，每个事件都有原因，包括人类的决定，因此我们并非真正自由。如果这是正确的，我们还能对自己的行为负责吗？
Libertarians in philosophy (not politics) hold that we do have free will, often pointing to our immediate experience of making choices. Compatibilists argue that freedom and determinism can coexist: freedom simply means acting according to your own desires, even if those desires are themselves caused. WJEC helps you map these positions clearly.
哲学中的自由意志论者（并非政治上的）坚持认为我们确实拥有自由意志，常常诉诸我们做出选择时的直接感受。相容论者主张，自由与决定论可以共存：自由仅仅意味着按照自己的欲望行动，即使这些欲望本身是被引起的。WJEC 帮助你清晰地勾勒这些立场。
Examining scenarios like whether a student who was raised in a difficult environment can be fully blamed for misbehaviour brings these theories to life and sharpens your moral reasoning.
考察例如一个在困难环境中长大的学生是否可以被完全归咎于行为不端之类的情景，能够使这些理论鲜活起来，并锻炼你的道德推理能力。
9. The Philosophy of Mind | 心灵哲学
What is the mind, and how does it relate to the body? Dualism, famously defended by Descartes, claims that the mind is a non-physical substance that interacts with the physical brain. Materialism, in contrast, asserts that mental states are nothing more than brain states. The ‘hard problem of consciousness’, as described by David Chalmers, asks why physical processes give rise to subjective experience at all.
什么是心灵，它与身体是何关系？笛卡尔所捍卫的二元论声称，心灵是一种非物理的实体，与物理的大脑相互作用。相反，唯物主义断言心理状态无非就是大脑状态。正如大卫・查尔莫斯所描述的’意识的困难问题’，问的是为什么物理过程竟会产生主观体验。
Thought experiments like ‘Mary the colour scientist’—a scientist who knows all the physical facts about colour but has never seen red—challenge the materialist view. When Mary finally sees a red rose, she learns something new, suggesting that experience itself is more than physical facts.
诸如’色彩科学家玛丽’的思想实验——一位知晓关于颜色的一切物理事实却从未见过红色的科学家——对唯物主义观点提出了挑战。当玛丽最终见到一朵红玫瑰时，她学到了新东西，这暗示体验本身超出了物理事实。
This topic connects to religion (ideas of the soul), ethics (can machines be moral?), and personal identity. It rewards careful, step-by-step thinking.
这一课题与宗教（灵魂概念）、伦理学（机器能有道德吗？）以及人格同一性相连。它需要你进行仔细、逐步的思考。
10. Political Philosophy and Justice | 政治哲学与正义
How should society be organised? Political philosophy explores justice, rights, and the role of government. Plato imagined a just state ruled by philosopher-kings who understand the form of the Good. Thomas Hobbes, on the other hand, believed that without a strong ruler, life would be ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short’.
社会应当如何组织？政治哲学探索正义、权利和政府的角色。柏拉图设想了一个由理解善之理念的哲学王统治的正义国家。另一方面，托马斯・霍布斯则认为，没有强大的统治者，生活将是’孤独、贫穷、肮脏、野蛮和短暂的’。
Modern debates often centre on the principles of philosopher John Rawls, who proposed that justice is best understood by imagining we design society from behind a ‘veil of ignorance’, where we do not know our own place in it. This method encourages fairness and equality.
现代论争常围绕哲学家约翰・罗尔斯的原则展开，他提出，正义最好通过想象我们在’无知之幕’背后设计社会来理解，即我们不知道自己将在其中占据什么位置。这种方法鼓励公平和平等。
In Year 7, you will discuss questions such as: Is it fair that some people have much more money than others? Should everyone have an equal say in decisions? These conversations build citizenship and respect for diverse views.
在七年级，你将讨论诸如这样的问题：有些人比别人拥有多得多的金钱，这公平吗？每个人都应该在决策中拥有平等的发言权吗？这些对话有助于培养公民意识和对多元观点的尊重。
11. Aesthetics: Beauty and Art | 美学：美与艺术
What makes something beautiful? Is beauty in the eye of the beholder, or are there objective standards? Philosophy of art, or aesthetics, examines these questions. Plato thought art was imitation and could be misleading, while Aristotle believed that art like tragedy could purge our emotions in a healthy way (catharsis).
是什么使事物成为美的？美存在于观看者的眼中，还是存在客观标准？艺术哲学（美学）正是探讨这些问题。柏拉图认为艺术是模仿，可能会误导人，而亚里士多德则认为悲剧这样的艺术能够以一种健康的方式净化我们的情绪（卡塔西斯）。
David Hume argued that while taste is subjective, educated and experienced critics can develop a standard of taste that most people would agree upon. Meanwhile, the concept of the ‘sublime’ refers to experiences that are vast, powerful, and sometimes awe-inspiring, like a stormy sea.
大卫・休谟主张，尽管品味是主观的，但有教养且经验丰富的批评家能够发展出一种大多数人都会同意的品味标准。同时，’崇高’这一概念指那些广阔、有力、有时令人敬畏的体验，比如暴风雨中的海洋。
This unit may involve analysing artworks, music, or nature, and considering how aesthetic value relates to moral and cultural value. It reminds us that philosophy is not only about logic but also about feeling and imagination.
本单元可能涉及分析艺术作品、音乐或自然，并思考审美价值如何与道德和文化价值相关联。它提醒我们，哲学不仅关乎逻辑，也关乎感受和想象力。
12. Critical Thinking and Argument | 批判性思维与论证
Philosophy is not just about big ideas; it is also a set of thinking skills. You learn to identify premises and conclusions, detect logical fallacies, and construct clear, well-supported arguments. A simple example is: ‘All humans are mortal. Socrates is human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.’ This is a valid syllogism.
哲学不只是关乎宏大思想，它也是一套思维技能。你要学习识别前提与结论，发现逻辑谬误，并构建清晰、有充分支撑的论证。一个简单的例子是：’所有人都会死。苏格拉底是人。因此，苏格拉底会死。’这是一个有效的三段论。
Common fallacies include ad hominem (attacking the person instead of the argument) and straw man (misrepresenting an opponent’s view to make it easier to attack). WJEC helps you spot these in everyday speech and media, teaching you to engage respectfully and rationally.
常见的谬误包括人身攻击（攻击人而非论点）和稻草人（曲解对方观点以便更容易攻击）。WJEC 帮助你发现日常言论和媒体中的这些谬误，教你如何尊重、理性地参与讨论。
Evaluating evidence, questioning sources, and changing your mind when faced with better reasons are all marks of a good philosopher. These skills will serve you across all subjects and throughout life.
评估证据、质疑来源、在面对更充分的理由时改变想法，这些都是优秀哲学家的标志。这些技能将使你在所有学科和生活中受益。
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