Religion & Philosophy

Although LGS is founded upon Christian principles, the Department of Religion and Philosophy is an academic body which treatsall other beliefs and philosophies, be they religious or secular, with equal respect. Boys are challenged to think clearly for themselves and to reach their own reasoned conclusions; those who believe that they already know all the answers will face serious challenges.

This is an exciting and increasingly popular department at both GCSE and Advanced Levels, and many of our pupils have gone on to study Theology or Philosophy at Russell Group universities and Oxbridge. We explore the so-called `ultimate questions’: Is there a God? What happens when we die? Is morality just a matter of your point of view? Is there any inherent meaning to existence? The responses of the major world religions and great philosophers are given due consideration.

In the Lower School the lives of the Buddha and Jesus are examined, alongside issues such as the nature of truth, crime and punishment, animal rights, and conflicts between religions. Such matters have a direct relevance to every person’s life, during and after school years, and it is our goal to prepare boys to deal with them in a thoughtful and meaningful fashion.

Our GCSE course in Years 10 and 11 focuses on philosophical and ethical debates. As well as going into more detail about those that have been studied in previous years, it introduces new ones such as euthanasia, the relationship between religious thought and scientific truth, and prejudice in its various guises. In this way our boys are inspired to think for themselves in areas where fresh dilemmas are constantly arising and to which there are no standard answers.

The A-Level deepens the emphasis upon philosophy and ethics, and allows the students to pit their minds against some of the most profound thinkers humanity has produced, the likes of Thomas Aquinas, David Hume, Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche.

There is a high level of subject knowledge within the Department of Religion and Philosophy, and the specific interests of the teaching staff complement each other well.