Materials needed: Piece of paper and writing utensil Description: First ask the students to imagine that the class is in a city-state and that the members of this class are the rulers of the city. We make the laws, rules, and judge cases. Often, cases are brought to our court and we make decisions on … Cases Before the Court
Materials needed: paper and pen/pencil Description: Start by asking “What is a law?” Allow a number of students to speak to get several ideas on the table. Likely they will talk about rules, punishments, order, peace, and the government. The central idea found in these suggestions will probably be “a rule made by the government for … Laws
Materials needed: Piece of paper, writing utensil Description: First ask the students what makes an action “good” and what makes an action “wrong.” Create a list on the board. Some things often brought up for good actions are that they are directed at helping others, are beneficial in some way, and aren’t against the law. For … Shallow Pond and Charity
Self-driving cars are already cruising the streets today. And while these cars will ultimately be safer and cleaner than their manual counterparts, they can’t completely avoid accidents altogether. How should the car be programmed if it encounters an unavoidable accident? Patrick Lin navigates the murky ethics of self-driving cars. Patrick Lin navigates the murky ethics … The Ethics of Self-driving Cars
Background content: Ideally students would have read some background content on implicit bias coming in to the conversation. One possibility is Kelly and Roedder’s 2008 paper “Racial Cognition and the Ethics of Implicit Bias.” (Only provide the first half, as it gives some background on implicit bias and empirical evidence supporting its existence.) Another possibility is just to have … Implicit Bias
Materials Needed: Several very large sheets of butcher paper (especially with younger students, writing is big and fills up the paper quickly). A few good ethical dilemmas (I list my favorites below). Various colored markers/pens for each student. Preparation: Write or glue one ethical dilemma onto each sheet of butcher paper. Arrange desks/tables into several … Silent Discussion on Ethical Dilemmas
Quite often we find ourselves in situations where we know we are not in control, such as being a student, or having a job, or being bullied. The most important factor in this is the perspective you as an individual bring to the situation. In this lesson, we are not discussing the merits of any … Are we in control? Hegel’s Lordship & Bondage
Seattle hip hop rapper Macklemore (aka Ben Haggerty) is one of the few widely-known rappers that is white. In his song “White Privilege” (2005), Macklemore sings about his experience as a white rapper, and how being white was advantageous in the music industry. In 2016, Macklemore collaborates with Chicago singer Jamila Woods to release the … Macklemore’s White Privilege II
Students engage with the ‘Ring of Gyges’ story from Plato’s Republic and John Rawls’ concept of the ‘veil of ignorance’ to examine how a just society might be organized.
Materials needed: John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, chapters two and eight. An alternative is James Rachels’ The Elements of Moral Philosophy, chapter eleven, “The Idea of a Social Contract” (see full citations and links in the ‘Resources’ section) A questionnaire (see below) Poster board for displaying the finished constitution Optional: online discussion forum; wig … Social Contract Theory: Creating a Cooperative Learning Environment
PLATO is part of a global UNESCO network that encourages children to participate in philosophical inquiry. As a partner in the UNESCO Chair on the Practice of Philosophy with Children, based at the Université de Nantes in France, PLATO is connected to other educational leaders around the world.
Connect With Us!