Morality

Lead-in

  • What obligations should parents have to their children? And children to their parents?
  • Do you think we were born with empathy or we were taught it?
  • Why do you think humans feel empathy?
  • Do you think animals can feel the same way? Why?
  • If you see a homeless person on the street asking for money, what is the first thing you think about them?
  • What does “I feel your pain” mean? Have you ever felt someone else’s pain?
  • What do you think about the quote: “Man is wolf to man”? It has meaning in reference to situations where people are known to have behaved in a way comparably in nature to a wolf.*

Presentation 1

Pre

  • How do you balance being self-serving and selfless?

Top Down

  • What does the teacher say about babies and morality? Watch the video and find out.
  • Even the youngest babies show a moral understanding of right from wrong / good from bad.
  • Babies have some serious moral limitations.
  • Babies have no conscience until they’re around 3 years old.
  • Babies think about themselves as a separate group.
  • Babies don’t know right from wrong.
  • Babies care deeply about adults.
  • Even the youngest babies show a moral understanding of right from wrong / good from bad.
  • Babies have some serious moral limitations.
  • Babies have no conscience until they’re around 3 years old.
  • Babies think about themselves as a separate group.
  • Babies don’t know right from wrong.
  • Babies care deeply about adults.

Bottom Up

  • True or False

Example: Science already knows everything about babies. False

  1. Paul is a Philosophy and cognitive science teacher at Yale University.
  2. Paul works with his wife.
  3. Paul analyses his own kids.
  4. Scientists are trying to find out when humans start to appreciate the immorality of lying.
  5. Paul says that he met some people that showed no interest at all in our morality.
  1. Paul is a Philosophy and cognitive science teacher at Yale University. False
  2. Paul works with his wife. True
  3. Paul analyses his own kids. False
  4. Scientists are trying to find out when humans start to appreciate the immorality of lying. True
  5. Paul says that he met some people that showed no interest at all in our morality. False

Post

  • Do you agree that babies are born with a sense of morality?
  • What do you think about people who harm no one but also help no one?
    • Can they be seen as bad people? Why or why not?

Presentation 2

Pre

  • Is there a moral obligation to help the less fortunate?
    • If so, what is it? 
    • If not, why?

Top Down

  • What is the main question of the video?
  • There’s no right and wrong, is there?
  • Who, or what, decides what’s right and what’s wrong and why?
  • Do people think morality is a lie told to control us?
  • There’s no right and wrong, is there?
  • Who, or what, decides what’s right and what’s wrong and why?
  • Do people think morality is a lie told to control us?

Bottom Up

  • Fill in the gaps as you watch the video again.

Example: I believe we can create ____… > I believe we can create standards…

  1. By ____ what cultures believe to be right and wrong ____ time.
  2. That would be a study of Sociology ____, Houston, that’s not a study of morality.
  3. One of the things that ____ people do is act as if their ____ is real.
  4. You’re ____ that because someone acts in such a way that there’s a ____ beyond us.
  5. Let me give you an ____, Houston: I can read a book and know what a book says and ____ there’s an author, right?
  1. By analyzing what cultures believe to be right and wrong across time.
  2. That would be a study of Sociology though, Houston, that’s not a study of morality.
  3. One of the things that all people do is act as if their suffering is real.
  4. You’re presupposing that because someone acts in such a way that there’s a standard beyond us.
  5. Let me give you an analogy, Houston: I can read a book and know what a book says and deny there’s an author, right?

Post

  • Which parts of the video do you agree with and which you don’t? Why?
  • Is morality based on emotions or reason? Why?
  • Is morality real? Talk about it.