A-Level Religious Studies · AQA Paper 2B Harlington School · Philosophy & Ethics

Good Conduct & Moral Principles

One unit, one argument — told three times. Because humans are made in the image of God, conduct has stakes, life is sacred, and the Earth is held in trust.

The
big
question

How must Christians live — and what may they do to a life that God has made sacred?

01

The spectrum of views

Every debate in this unit lines up on an axis of its own. Pick a sub-topic, then tap a position to see what it claims and where it's strong or weak.

Most authorityLeast authority

Tap a circle — or use Tab and Enter — to explore each position.

The thread that ties it together

Top answers don't treat the three debates separately. One text runs through all of them — spot the thread and you're writing at the top of the mark scheme.

The image of God

Genesis 1:26 grounds all three debates: conduct, sanctity and dominion all flow from what humans are made AS.

Sacred → sanctity

If the image makes life sacred, the embryo, the dying and the enemy soldier all fall under one principle — tested to breaking.

Image → answerability

An image answers to what it images. The same verse read as licence or as trusteeship is the whole dominion debate.

02

The same question, three times

The unit splits into three debates. They look different, but each is really asking what follows from being made in the image of God.

Sub-topic 1

Good Conduct

Why be good?
FaithSola fide — Paul & Luther; works are fruit.
WorksJames: faith without works is dead.
BothTrent: grace through baptism, completed by works.
PredestinedAugustine & Calvin — willed from eternity.
Sub-topic 2

Sanctity of Life & Just War

Can life be taken?
StrongSacred from conception — no exceptions (Catholic).
WeakQuality of life, autonomy and agape weigh too (CofE).
Just WarEight clauses — ius ad bellum, ius in bello.
WMDThe limit case: intrinsically evil, or deterrence?
Sub-topic 3

Dominion & Stewardship

Licence — or trust?
PowerPsalm 8; subdue and rule; Genesis 9.
StewardshipCreation 'good'; caretakers answerable to the owner.
Eco-theologyWhite, McFague — and Laudato Si' 67.
The catchBoth readings sit in the same text.
03

Your resources

🎯 Practice and intervention for this unit · the Arena warm-up, the same question answered at D, C, B and A*, the four moves of your tier, timed writing with Coach Owl

Everything for the unit, in one place. Open a sub-topic's lesson, booklet and podcast, and use the Philosopher Companion across all three.

Teacher setup: links aren't set yet. Open this file, find the LINKS list near the bottom, and paste each SharePoint share link once. Buttons with no link show as “Link not set”.
04

How to revise this unit

Use your resources in this order — for each of the three sub-topics. The Philosopher Companion is where you learn to plan both question types.

Watch the lesson & listen to the podcast

One podcast per sub-topic — a teacher and student talk each view through to a judgement. Annotate as you listen.

Complete the greyscale booklet

Read the given text, write the key claims in your own words, then decide the strength and weakness you'd give each view.

Match & apply the key terms

In the Companion: match each term to its meaning, then use it in a sentence. RAG-rate the mastery checklist with the three faces.

Plan AO1, then build AO2 on top

Use the Companion frameworks and the guidance-left / your-turn-right scaffolds. Never evaluate what you haven't first explained.

AO1 · Examine the views (10)
What it is — the factual chain: define the key idea, then set out each view in order and apply the evidence (e.g. Genesis 1:26).
Aim — explain the whole range accurately and neutrally. No judging yet.
AO2 · Evaluate the claim (15)
What it is — a three-paragraph dialectic: view, then evaluation → counter-evaluation → implication; mirror it; then judge.
Aim — weigh the views, use one as a lens on another, and reach a justified judgement that links back to your thesis.
05

Watch: the whole unit in one go

A full review of Good Conduct & Moral Principles — faith, works and predestination, the sanctity of life and Just War, and dominion & stewardship. Best watched before you start revising, then again to check your recall.

Video not set

Teacher: paste the YouTube link in the VIDEO_URL line near the bottom of this file. The player then appears here automatically.

06

Flashcards — test yourself

Flip a card to check yourself. Switch between key terms (term → meaning) and views (view → claim, strength & weakness), and filter by sub-topic.

Tap any card to flip ·