Lesson video

Hello, my name's Ms. Rivers.

I'm glad you've chosen this lesson, and I'm looking forward to working with you today.

Today's lesson is from the unit "Ethics: How do we decide what is good?" And the lesson is called "Ethics and values." In this lesson, we'll be thinking about the word ethics and what it means, and about how people make moral choices in their lives.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain what is meant by ethics, and you'll be able to give some examples of how people live out their lives following codes of ethics.

The keywords for today are philosophy, that's the study of knowledge, truth, right and wrong, and the meaning of life.

Ethics, that's part of philosophy.

It's the study of living a good life and what is right and wrong.

And principles, basic rules that help people to make good choices.

Some of these words might be new for you, so take a moment to look at them.

You might want to practise writing them down and seeing if you can remember what they mean.

So pause the video while you look at the keywords.

We'll be using these words all the way through the lesson, so listen carefully for them and see if you can remember what they mean.

In the first part of the lesson, we'll be thinking about that word ethics and what it means.

What do we mean by ethics? Jun and Laura are talking about philosophy.

Do you remember that keyword, philosophy? It's the study of knowledge and truth and right and wrong.

Jun says, "Philosophy is very complicated and difficult.

I don't think it is something that children can do.

Maybe I will do it when I'm grown up." Laura says, "I think children can do philosophy.

It's about asking thoughtful questions and considering the answers that different people might give.

I like doing that." Do you agree with Jun or Laura? Do you ever do philosophy? Pause the video and think about the answers to these questions.

If there's someone near you, you might like to talk to them and share your ideas.

The word philosophy comes from the ancient Greek word sophia.

It means a love of wisdom.

You might be able to spot part of the word sophia inside the word philosophy.

Philosophy gives us tools to help people think more clearly.

Philosophy can help people to understand different points of view.

Sofia has a good definition of philosophy.

She says, "A philosopher is someone who has never grown up.

They don't stop asking questions even if there is not an easy answer!" I wonder if you're someone who likes to ask lots of questions.

Here's a quick check.

True or false? Philosophy is only for older, clever people.

Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, it's false.

We've already said that philosophy is about deep thinking and asking lots of questions.

It's for everyone, including children.

Andeep and Sofia are talking about rules.

Andeep says, "At home, my parents make the rules.

When I was younger, I followed them without questioning.

Now I'm older, my parents discuss the reasons with me to explain why we have these rules." I wonder what it's like for you at home.

Do you have rules to follow? Maybe you talk to your family about the rules you have at home.

Sofia says, "Our teachers help us to make a class charter at the start of each year.

We all agree on the rules we will follow in our classroom.

It makes life easier if we all choose to follow them." I wonder if you do something like this in your school.

What rules do you follow at home or at school? Who decides on the rules? And how do you decide what's right and wrong? Pause the video while you think about some answers to these questions.

And if there's someone near you, maybe you could share your ideas with them.

The branch of philosophy that deals with questions of what is right and wrong is called ethics.

Did you spot that keyword, ethics? Ethics are codes of behaviour or rules followed by a group, society, or community.

Sofia says, "Our class charter is like a code of ethics.

We discussed it and agreed it as a class.

It has become our ethical code, and it helps our class to run smoothly." Here's a quick check.

Can you complete Sofia's sentence? She says, "The branch of philosophy that deals with something is called ethics." What word goes in that gap? Is it A, questions and answers, B, right and wrong, or C, the existence of God? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the answer was B.

The branch of philosophy that deals with right and wrong is called ethics.

Well done if you remembered that answer.

Philosophers like to think deeply and have discussions about difficult questions.

They might ask ethical questions such as, "Is it okay to harm one person in order to save many others?" This is an ethical question because it's about how principles of right and wrong might be applied to a situation.

Philosophers might have a discussion about an ethical question like this, and they might have different ideas about right and wrong when they're trying to answer the question.

Here are some other examples of ethical questions.

"Should people be allowed to take someone else's property without their agreement?" "Is it ever okay to tell a lie?" "Should people with a religious worldview eat meat?" Some questions are not ethical questions.

For example, "What is the best way to make a chocolate cake?" This question is about opinions, not about principles of right and wrong.

Here's another question, "Which planet is furthest from the sun?" This isn't an ethical question either.

This question is about facts.

It's not about principles of right and wrong.

Can you think of any ethical questions, questions about right and wrong, not facts or opinions? Pause the video while you think of some ethical questions.

You might want to jot some down on a piece of paper or maybe talk to somebody near you and share your ideas.

Many ethical questions do not have a simple answer.

People might weigh up ethical principles by asking questions such as: Is there a clear right and wrong in this situation? Or, what would somebody wise, such as Jesus or the Prophet Muhammad, do in this situation? Sometimes people with different worldviews might have different opinions about what is right.

Look at the ethical questions that you listed.

I wonder if any of those have difficult answers.

Maybe you and your friends have different opinions about the answers to those questions.

Here's a quick check.

Which of the following is not an example of an ethical question? A, is it okay to lie to protect a friend? B, is it better to keep fit by running or playing tennis? And C, should you always keep a secret? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the answer is B, is it better to keep fit by running or by playing tennis? That's not an ethical question.

It's a question about opinions.

Well done if you picked that one out.

Here's a task to do, and this task is in two parts.

Part 1 says, "Can you think of three examples of ethical questions?" Here's one example to help you, "Is it okay to harm one person in order to save many others?" The second part of the task asks you to think of three examples of questions that are not related to ethics.

When you've written these questions, have a look at them.

Can you say what sort of questions they are? They might be factual questions or questions about opinions or something else.

Pause the video while you do your work, and then we'll see what ideas you've come up with.

I wonder how you got on with thinking of examples of ethical questions.

Have a look at your ideas.

Your question should be something that involves a decision about whether something is right or wrong, or how to lead a good life.

These are ethical questions.

Here are some possible ideas, "Should I give up my seat on the bus for someone who needs it?" "Is it fair to let someone win a game just because they are younger?" These are both ethical questions.

They're about decisions that have to be made about whether something is right or wrong, and people might have different ideas.

I wonder what questions you came up with.

Have you checked to see that they are ethical questions? The second part of your task was to think of three examples of questions that are not related to ethics, and then to say what sort of questions they are.

Your question could be something about a fact or an opinion.

Here are some possible ideas.

"How does a polar bear survive in the Arctic?" That's a question about facts.

"What is your favourite football team?" That's a question about opinions.

I wonder what questions you came up with.

Well done for working hard and for understanding what we mean by ethics.

The second part of the lesson continues our thinking about ethics.

We're starting to think about how people decide on what ethical principles they will follow.

Where do ethical principles come from? Laura and Jun would like to understand how people with different worldviews make ethical decisions.

Laura says, "I understand that people might answer ethical questions in different ways.

I wonder how people with different worldviews apply principles to ethical questions." Jun says, "Let's ask people with different worldviews to explain more about ethics.

We could ask people what principles they use to make decisions." Sofia is talking with Meryem.

Meryem has a Muslim worldview.

Sofia wants to know about her ethical decisions, so she asks, "How do Muslims make ethical decisions?" Meryem answers, "The five pillars of Islam give Muslims like me an ethical framework for my life and behaviour." Sofia is wondering if there's anything else besides the five pillars of Islam that helps Meryem to make ethical choices.

She asks, "What helps you to make ethical choices as well as the five pillars?" Meryem says, "I try to follow the teachings and example of the Prophet Muhammad in my treatment of people and all living things.

I help at a food bank in my local community regularly.

I do this because I believe the Prophet Muhammad taught we should be kind to all." So Meryem follows the five pillars of Islam, but she also follows the Prophet Muhammad's example and thinks about how she treats other people.

Here's a quick check.

What helps Meryem, as a Muslim, to make ethical decisions? Choose all the correct answers.

Does she follow A, the five pillars, B, the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, or C, her friends? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the correct answers were A, the five pillars, and B, the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.

Well done if you picked out those answers.

Andeep is talking to Fergus.

Fergus has a Christian worldview, and Andeep is interested in how Christians make ethical decisions.

Fergus tells him, "Jesus taught that we should love God and love our neighbour.

These two commands give me a clear ethical framework for how I relate to God and other people." Andeep says, "That seems very clear.

Does that mean that all Christians make the same ethical choices?" Fergus tells him, "Christians might have different interpretations of the best way to show love for God or other people.

This leads to different opinions on some ethical issues.

I enjoy discussing the Bible and finding ways to apply its ethical teachings in the modern world." So Fergus is telling Andeep that he thinks carefully about interpreting the Bible.

But Christians might have different opinions, and they like to discuss them and see where they agree and where they differ.

Jun is talking with Diane.

Diane has a humanist worldview.

Jun asks, "How do humanists make ethical decision?" Diane tells him, "For many humanists, an ethical principle is to treat everyone as you would like to be treated.

We believe people want to be happy in life, so we try to help others to be happy." Jun has more questions to ask.

He says, "Does this principle make it easy for humanists to make ethical choices?" Diane tells him, "No, it's not easy to follow this principle." She says, "I use empathy to imagine how others might feel about my actions.

It's no use giving my friend chocolate cake because it's my favourite.

I need to find out what she likes best so that I can make her happy." Here's a quick check.

True or false? People might make ethical choices based on their worldview.

Is that true or false? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the answer is true.

Most religious and non-religious worldviews have an ethical framework, such as the five pillars of Islam, the teachings of Jesus, or the principle of making others happy.

Well done if you got that answer right.

So now it's time for another task, and this is another task with two parts.

The first part is this.

Laura and Andeep have been asked to explain ethics.

Whose explanation is correct, and why? Laura says, "Ethics is only about thinking deeply and asking questions.

It's not about actions or changing behaviour." Andeep says, "Ethics is about frameworks that shape behaviour, such as Jesus's commandment to love your neighbour." So think about whose explanation is correct, and give your reasons.

The second part of the task is to explain how people with different worldviews might try to answer an ethical question.

What principles would they use? Use the case studies of Meryem or Fergus or Diane to help you.

Try to use the following keywords in your answer: principle, ethics, religious worldview, non-religious worldview.

Pause the video while you do your work.

So, how did you get on? Laura and Andeep were asked to explain ethics.

Whose explanation did you think was correct? Maybe you said this: Andeep's explanation is correct because he has noticed that ethics give a framework to shape behaviour.

Ethical codes such as Jesus's commandments can be applied in many different situations.

Laura's explanation was incorrect because ethics is about changing behaviour as well as thinking deeply about the principles you follow.

I wonder if you had some ideas that were a bit like mine.

Here's the second part of the task, to explain how people with different worldviews might try to answer an ethical question.

You might have said something like this: Ethics is about questions of right and wrong or leading a good life.

People with religious worldviews might apply the principles of their religion to answer an ethical question.

For example, Meryem uses the five pillars and the teachings of Muhammad to help her.

Fergus looks at the teachings of Jesus.

People with non-religious worldviews might use different principles.

For example, as a humanist, Diane might use her empathy to try to make others happy.

People with the same worldview might use the same principles but have a different answer to the question.

I wonder if you included any of these ideas, or maybe you thought of some different things.

Well done for working hard.

We've learned a lot in today's lesson.

We've learned that philosophers think deeply and ask questions about life.

Anyone can use philosophy to consider questions about the world around us.

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of behaviour and questions about what is right and wrong.

Ethical questions do not have simple answers.

And people who share a worldview may have different views on the answers to ethical questions.

Well done for working hard and for thinking hard about some of these difficult ideas today.

I've enjoyed working with you in this lesson.